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Disaster Relief Assistance in Southern Illinois
Dear
Friend:
With the
recent approval of federal disaster assistance for Southern Illinois, I
want to be sure that everyone knows how to apply for this
assistance. On Saturday, June 11, at the Egyptian School in Tamms,
I held a public meeting to provide information on disaster relief and
recovery assistance available to individuals affected by recent flooding
and storms in Southern Illinois. About 150 people were in
attendance at this meeting, and representatives from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Illinois Emergency Management Agency
(IEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) were on hand to
outline what assistance programs are available and how to apply for aid.
There
are a few different categories of assistance being made available:
Individual
Assistance: On June 7, 14 Southern Illinois counties,
including Alexander, Franklin, Jackson, Perry, Pulaski, Randolph and
Williamson in the 12th District, received approval for individual
assistance. This makes grants and low-interest SBA loans available
to eligible individuals and businesses. All individuals interested
in applying for federal assistance must do so online at www.disasterassistance.gov, or by calling FEMA's
toll-free number at 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-800-462-7585. Small
business owners seeking assistance may visit www.sba.gov, or call 1-800-659-2955 or TTY
1-800-877-8339.
Public
Assistance: 21 counties, including Alexander, Franklin,
Jackson, Perry, Pulaski, Randolph, Union and Williamson in the 12th
District, have been approved for Public Assistance. This allows
state and local governments to apply for reimbursement for 75 percent of
their eligible expenses related to damage from storms and flooding that
began in April.
Disaster
Unemployment Assistance: On June 16, it was announced
that Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) was approved for people who
live or work in 14 Southern Illinois counties, including Alexander, Franklin,
Jackson, Perry, Pulaski, Randolph and Williamson counties in the 12th
District. This will assist those who are unemployed due to the
flooding, and individuals are eligible for up to 26 weeks of DUA benefits
as long as their unemployment continues to be a result of the
disaster. Those interested in applying may visit www.ides.illinois.gov, or call the toll-free number
for the Illinois Department of Employment Security at 1-888-367-4382 or
TTY 1-866-322-8357.
Additionally,
FEMA and IEMA are opening four Disaster Recovery Centers – in Cairo,
Herrin, Junction and Metropolis – to provide information concerning
disaster assistance and help with completing the registration. For
more information on these centers, including locations and hours of
operation, please visit the Disaster Recovery Centers section of my website.
I
strongly supported the disaster assistance requests made by Governor
Quinn, and I personally urged the White House to expedite the approval
process at the federal level.
Remember,
you must register to be considered for assistance. Call the
toll-free numbers listed above to register or to receive answers to your questions.
More information is available on my website at costello.house.gov.
You
are invited to sign up for future electronic newsletters. Please
feel free to forward this message to friends and neighbors you think
might be interested in this issue.
Sincerely,
Jerry Costello
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