Durbin, Kirk, Delegation Support Illinois Appeal for Federal Public Assistance for Southern and Central Illinois Counties
[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) were joined by the entire Illinois Congressional Delegation today sending a letter to President Obama asking him to reconsider the denial of the State of Illinois’ request for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance to the counties that were hardest-hit following the storms and severe flooding that began on December 23, 2015 and continued through January 13, 2016.
“On March 10, the State was notified that its request for federal assistance to help Illinois recover and rebuild from the large-scale flood was denied,” the Members wrote. “In light of the additional losses to these communities that have been identified and documented since the State’s initial request, we request reconsideration of the Public Assistance determination.”
Today’s delegation letter comes in support of Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s request letter to President Obama – sent earlier today – which cited an additional $1.8 million in uninsured losses and widespread property damage that have been identified through the Preliminary Damage Assessments.
“All the counties included in the state’s request for Public Assistance have exceeded the county threshold of $3.57 per capita. Alexander County alone suffered an estimated damage of $486 per capita, exceeding the county threshold by a factor of more than 100. The severity of the localized impact to these communities is undeniable, and we urge you to please carefully consider these factors when determining the state’s appeal,” the Members wrote.
In February, Durbin and Kirk were joined by members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to President Obama in support of Governor Rauner’s request for FEMA Public Assistance for sixteen Illinois counties – Alexander, Bureau, Calhoun, Cass, Cumberland, Jackson, Jersey, Madison, Menard, Monroe, Morgan, Moultrie, Pike, Randolph, St. Clair, and Vermilion – due to immense storm damage. Today’s request includes seventeen counties, with the addition of Clark County. Federal Public Assistance would allow the State of Illinois, local governments, and certain non-profit organizations to apply for grants through FEMA to help with debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities.
Members signing on to the letter of support include: U.S. Representative Mike Bost (R-IL), U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL), U.S. Representative Danny Davis (D-IL), U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL), U.S. Representative Robert Dold (R-IL), U.S. Representative Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-IL), U.S. Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (R-IL), U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL), U.S. Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), U.S. Representative Darin LaHood (R-IL), U.S. Representative Dan Lipinksi (D-IL), U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL), U.S. Representative Peter Roskam (R-IL), U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL), U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and U.S. Representative John Shimkus (R-IL).
The full text of today’s letter is available below.
April 8, 2016
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of United States
The White House
Washington, D. C. 20416
Dear Mr. President:
We write to support Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s appeal of the denial of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance for 17 Illinois counties severely damaged by flash and river flooding that began on December 23, 2015, and continued through January 13, 2016. On March 10, the State was notified that its request for federal assistance to help Illinois recover and rebuild from the large-scale flood was denied. In light of the additional losses to these communities that have been identified and documented since the State’s initial request, we request reconsideration of the Public Assistance determination.
Specifically, since the first round of assessments was conducted, an additional $1.8 million in eligible disaster recovery costs have been identified.
All the counties included in the state’s request for Public Assistance have exceeded the county threshold of $3.57 per capita. Alexander County alone suffered an estimated damage of $486 per capita, exceeding the county threshold by a factor of more than 100. The severity of the localized impact to these communities is undeniable, and we urge you to please carefully consider these factors when determining the state’s appeal for Alexander, Bureau, Calhoun, Clark, Cass, Cumberland, Jackson, Jersey, Madison, Menard, Monroe, Morgan, Moultrie, Pike, Randolph, St. Clair, and Vermilion counties.
For three weeks, Illinois experienced torrential rainfall and winter storms that caused rivers in Illinois to reach record-high levels and destroy or damage homes. The State has dedicated significant resources to the response and recovery effort, but federal help is needed.
We respectfully request that you reconsider the State of Illinois’ request for Public Assistance to help ensure these 17 counties receive the assistance they need to repair from the damage. We thank you in advance for your timely consideration of this important request and stand ready to assist in any way appropriate.