Blizzard declared disaster; funds made available

Federal aid will be made available to the state of Illinois to help areas affected by the blizzard in early February, which has been declared a “major disaster,” FEMA announced Thursday.

The funds will cover expenses piled up between January 31 and February 3, when the third largest blizzard in Chicago history left more than 20 inches of snow in some areas.

Federal aid will cover 75 or more percent of costs to repair or replace damaged public facilities such as roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, schools and similar publicly owned property.

Payment of at least 75 percent of the costs will be provided for removing debris from public areas and for emergency measures taken to saves lives and protect property and public health.

FEMA will hold a series of briefings to explain application procedures for state and eligible local governments.

Governor Quinn sent a formal request to President Barack Obama on Feb. 28 asking that 60 Illinois counties be declared federal disaster areas.

Quinn’s office estimated that the state and local governments spent about $64 million to respond to the storm and recover afterward.

The funds released will support 60 counties including Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry.