Illinoisans in 21 counties are eligible for federal flood relief after President Barack Obama approved a federal disaster area declaration last weekend.
The 21 counties in southern Illinois are primarily along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers or other low-lying areas. Some portions of the disaster area received in excess of 30 inches of rain in March and April. Residents can apply for various types of assistance at the federal disaster assistance website.
The nice thing about the website is that it walks the visitors through the disaster assistance maze and offers forms of assistance that many disaster victims may not have considered. For example, disaster victims who had a federal student loan in repayment may be eligible for a temporary forbearance, a set time with suspended payments, in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.
The website is also not disaster specific, so victims of tornadoes in Joplin, Mo., and across the south, including Alabama and Tennessee can use the website as well.
The first step is a questionnaire that helps identify the types of disaster aid you might be eligible for. Different assistance is available to homeowners, farmers and business people depending on the nature of their loss during the disaster.
After completing the short survey, those using the website will be directed to a page with hyperlinks to the various federal aid programs that might be able to use. People who lost their place to live due to the disaster, for example, may be directed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's "Housing Portal" to locate available rental properties in the surrounding area. The portal allows searches for housing that meets specific criteria as well, such as Section 8 eligibility or accepting pets.
Renters who lost everything, including the roof over their heads in a disaster, may be eligible for assistance finding housing and a program called "Other Needs Assistance" that can help replace clothing and other personal items lost in the disaster.
Other programs include disaster related unemployment insurance and information regarding the National Flood Insurance Program.
Lucinda Gunnin cut her teeth as a reporter covering Illinois news as an intern in the statehouse pressroom. She now brings 20 years of insight and experience to covering Illinois news.
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