State government declares flood disaster for St. Clair, Washington counties
Flooding in St. Clair and Washington counties prompted Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to declare a disaster proclamation for the two areas, but he said Wednesday he doesn’t know if the flooding caused enough damage for President Joe Biden to issue a federal disaster proclamation.
“We’ll see,” Pritzker said about whether a federal declaration is made.
“In many ways I hope it’s not that much but obviously getting federal help is a useful thing,” he said in an interview following a news conference about an unrelated plant expansion in Caseyville.
“Meanwhile, you know, we’ve got our emergency management agency, our state police and the rest of our agencies in the public safety area to respond, including EPA,” he said.
Pritzker said he did not have an estimate of the damages caused by the rain that fell from Monday, July 25 to Wednesday, July 27.
“But I do know that it’s serious enough that declaring a disaster made sense so that we could bring all of our agencies to bear,” Pritzker said.
Homes and cars in the East St. Louis neighborhood off Terrace Drive and Mary Avenue near the Harding Ditch were flooded last week. In Washington County, the secondary dam of the Nashville City Reservoir was breached.
Street and highway flooding occurred throughout the region in wake of the storms.
The state’s disaster proclamation, which was issued on Friday and filed with the Secretary of State on Monday, states “upwards of 10 inches of rain” fell last week in the region. The National Weather Service said a daily record for rainfall was set on July 25 at St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
Pritzker’s declaration was issued after St. Clair County had issued a disaster proclamation and the city of East St. Louis declared an emergency.
East St. Louis Mayor Robert Eastern III said Saturday that the flooding in his city caused an estimated $10 million in damages and economic impact.
Eastern has asked the city’s staff to find out whether homes in the low-lying areas by the Harding Ditch could be purchased by the federal government.
When asked about the possibility of the state or federal government buying out homes in the metro-east, Pritzker said, “Well, it would have to be a new project that the legislature would approve, but it is absolutely something that the state government could do.”
Pritzker noted that $9.9 million in state funding was announced on Wednesday for sewer improvements in Cahokia Heights and it would help people “live in their communities without getting flooded.”
Eastern said the Harding Ditch was so full last week that pump stations automatically shut off. He also said the ditch needs to be dredged, but he has been told that the federal government did not have funds to do that.
When asked about the possibility of dredging of the Harding Ditch, Pritzker said, “I can’t speak to the specific project but I know that the mayor is talking about the most immediate flooding they’re trying to avert right away in dealing with the sewage challenges.”
Flood victims
A temporary, overnight shelter remained open on Wednesday at Mason-Clark Middle School at 5510 State St. in East St. Louis, according to the American Red Cross.
Also, a “one-stop shop” for flood victims who need assistance will be conducted this weekend at East St. Louis School at 4901 State St.
The hours will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
