How and when can you claim federal assistance from July floods? Here’s what to know.
Federal assistance is available to anyone in St. Clair County who was affected by severe flooding in July. You just have to apply by the deadline.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Monday that President Joe Biden has granted disaster assistance for residents. It comes almost three months after rainfall of up to 12 inches caused severe flash flooding in southwestern Illinois and St. Louis on July 26.
Here’s what to know about the application requirements and the available assistance for residents, business owners and local officials:
When to apply for assistance
Applications will be accepted starting Tuesday, according to state and local officials who provided more details at a news conference following FEMA’s announcement.
FEMA representative Darryl Dragoo said people will have 60 days from the disaster declaration on Monday to apply, including holidays.
What assistance could look like
Illinois Emergency Management Agency Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau described the assistance for residents this way:
“The individual assistance means that residents can apply for grants — not loans — for damages to homes, vehicles and personal property. They can look for temporary housing and emergency home repairs. Uninsured and underinsured persons can look at property losses, plus medical and dental costs caused by the disaster.”
Tate-Nadeau added that the grants are “nontaxable income,” which means they won’t affect benefits people might be receiving, such as social security, Medicaid or food stamps.
She said the average amount an individual can expect is between $3,000 and $7,000.
The Small Business Administration will soon be coming to the area to provide information about low-interest loans for businesses and individuals as well, according to Tate-Nadeau.
East St. Louis resident Jackie Sewell said she attended Monday’s news conference to learn how the federal assistance application might be different for someone like her who owns two homes, one she lives in and one she rents out as a landlord. She didn’t get an answer Monday, but she hopes to be able to apply for grants for damages at both properties as opposed to a loan because she doesn’t want the debt.
Sewell said her rental property is on Terrace Drive, where the water took days to recede and residents have still not returned because of damage and mold.
Where to apply and what you need
You can apply for assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA mobile app.
Officials said a Disaster Relief Center will also be opening somewhere in the metro-east to help people with their applications in person. In the meantime, Dragoo said people can visit the centers currently open in Missouri to get help applying for federal flood assistance.
Here are two locations across the river that are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday:
- Ranken Technical College, Mary Ann Lee Technology Center, 1313 N. Newstead Ave. in St. Louis (Near the corner of Newstead and Page)
University City Recreation Division, Centennial Commons, 7210 Olive Blvd. in University City
Here’s what you’ll need to complete the application, according to DisasterAssistance.gov:
- Social security number
- Annual household income
- Contact information (phone number, mailing address and damaged home address)
- Insurance information (coverage, insurance company name, etc.)
- Bank account information (if you are eligible to receive financial assistance, the money can be deposited in your account)
Dragoo noted anyone with insurance should submit a claim for flooding damage before applying for federal assistance.
You will also need to provide documentation of costs like completed home repairs or hotel stays while displaced due to flooding, according to Dragoo.
How officials hope to mitigate future flooding
Sewell said she also went to Monday’s news conference to hear how East St. Louis officials plan to address issues with infrastructure, such as the city’s pump system, which she believes has contributed to years of bad flooding. This time, she got an answer.
St. Clair County Emergency Management Director Herb Simmons said the disaster declaration opening the door to assistance for residents also makes federal funds available for mitigations.
“I know (St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern) and I have been talking about some of the other areas throughout the entire county that have that ongoing problem that we will definitely be taking advantage of mitigating those problems since this money is gonna be out there,” Simmons said. “There’s those low-lying areas, these places that they’re prone to the flooding when you got these type of storms. Those are gonna be the ones that we’re gonna be targeting.”
This story was originally published October 17, 2022 at 8:50 PM.
