Quick reply needed on disaster status

Illinois politicians who rarely manage unanimous agreement on anything are nonetheless united on this: that Chicago and suburbs should be declared a federal disaster area as a result of Aug. 23 storms that flooded basements, caused other types of structural damage, destroyed trees and knocked out power.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday that disaster-area status be granted to eight Illinois counties, including all of the Daily Herald readership area. Since then, U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, along with most members of the Illinois U.S. House delegation, have pitched in with their own letters of support.

Certainly many suburban homeowners and mayors would agree. And while federal officials understandably have to weigh the request against their own criteria, they will find it difficult to refute the governor's assertion that storm damage is too extensive to be covered by local and state financial resources alone.

In a strictly subjective sense, many longtime suburban residents pronounced last month's storm damage to be the worst in memory.

More objectively, teams from FEMA, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration compiled daunting statistics after two weeks of taking inventory. Their report concludes that 160 homes in the area suffered severe damage and nearly 5,000 sustained minor damage. A total of 169 businesses were damaged. Local governments face emergency and cleanup bills exceeding $20 million.

Twenty million may not seem an enormous sum for those accustomed to hearing reports of federal expenditures running to billions of dollars and federal debt totaling trillions. But suburban municipal officials will attest that $20 million is a big number -- one that without federal assistance will create problems.

The importance of federal disaster designation is that it opens the door for local governments, small businesses and homeowners to apply for grants and low-interest loans to help cover costs of repairs, temporary housing and the like.

As the Daily Herald's Stacy St. Clair and Tara Malone reported Tuesday, those who need such aid are now largely relegated to waiting on an answer from Washington, D.C.

Here's hoping, of course, that federal officials confer disaster status. But in addition, here's hoping that Washington answers -- either way -- quickly. If the answer is "no," then suburban officials and property owners will know they need to seek other means to cover losses and damages. If Washington's answer is "yes," that's obviously much better. A quick response will make it easier for those with claims to keep together the records and documentation they'll need to apply for grants, loans and so forth.

FEMA has developed an unfortunate reputation for moving glacially. But the agency needed less than a month to declare two western Illinois counties -- Winnebago and Stephenson -- disaster areas after Aug. 8 flash flooding. Here's hoping the agency is equally nimble now.