Mulligan: Cook County to Receive Federal Flood Assistance

October 17, 2008

Des Plaines, IL – Cook County will receive federal assistance for communities that were impacted by heavy flood waters in September, according to State Representative Rosemary Mulligan (R-Des Plaines).

Representative Mulligan worked with the Governor’s office to ensure that Cook County would receive financial help for costs associated with clean-up from the flood waters.

“Many of our communities, especially Des Plaines and Park Ridge, were significantly impacted by the flood waters from Hurricane Ike that brought heavy rain to our area in September. Many families have suffered from the flooding. I am pleased that our local municipalities will receive some financial relief so they can continue with the clean-up efforts to help alleviate some of the burden on families,” Mulligan said.

This funding goes to offset the costs incurred by local communities to help pay clean-up and repair expenses from flood-related damages. The funding is separate from FEMA money that goes to help assist individual homeowners with their flood-related losses. Individuals and small businesses who wish to seek assistance need to make sure that they register with FEMA at 1-800-621-FEMA or by visiting their website at www.fema.gov.

The federal government approved the state’s request for assistance to local municipalities in Cook, DuPage, Grundy and LaSalle counties for expenses incurred from recent severe flooding.

Preliminary damage assessments conducted by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency showed local government flood-related expenses totaled nearly $17.8 million in Cook County.