Governor Quinn Meets with Officials, Flood Victims to Move Recovery Forward

WESTCHESTER – August 11, 2010. Governor Pat Quinn today met with federal authorities and local officials from Chicagoland area communities most heavily impacted by last month’s flash floods. Governor Quinn met with west suburban mayors in Westchester this morning, followed by a meeting with legislators on the West Side of Chicago to outline the steps the state is taking to assess flood damage and to give a progress report on the damage assessment findings.

“Already, more than 200 homes have been identified as damaged or destroyed in seven northern Illinois counties, with hundreds more also ravaged. As damage assessments continue this week, we expect these numbers to grow,” said Governor Quinn. “It’s critical that we provide President Obama and FEMA the strongest case possible for federal funding by fully showing the devastating impact of these floods.”

The state called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) last week to provide assistance with formal damage assessments. Last week, teams from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), FEMA and the Small Business Administration (SBA) and local governments began conducting damage assessments in five northwestern Illinois counties, where they documented more than 100 homes that had been destroyed or sustained major damage and many more that were damaged to a lesser extent.

On Monday, these teams began working in Cook and DuPage counties, and in little more than 24 hours identified more than 100 homes in those two counties alone that suffered severe damage from water in the central living area. Governor Quinn has directed the teams to continue documenting damage through the end of this week in order to provide strong evidence in support of the state’s request for federal assistance. The Governor intends to formally submit the request to President Obama by early next week.

Two weeks ago, heavy rainfall across northern Illinois triggered widespread flooding that damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes, businesses, roads and bridges and devastated thousands of people throughout the region. On July 26, Governor Quinn issued a state disaster declaration for 12 counties and pledged that the state would do everything in its power to help the affected people and their communities recover.

IEMA continues to work closely with local officials in these areas to determine the flood’s impact and to provide assistance to communities with response and recovery efforts. Additional information about flood safety is available at www.Ready.Illinois.gov.