FEMA reimburses Lake County for flood expenses
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse at least 75 percent of the expenses incurred by Lake County and local towns impacted by June floods, officials announced Wednesday afternoon.
Kent McKenzie, head of the Lake County Emergency Management Agency, said he was contacted by state and federal officials at 2 p.m. Wednesday and told FEMA has declared the area eligible for public assistance.
That means FEMA will pick up about $1.7 million of the $2.25 million county and local governments spent on June flooding.
"I'm ecstatic by the decision," he said. "The impacted communities of this latest round of flooding couldn't afford to pick up the price tag again."
The June floods, which caused damage across the state, were the third to hit Lake County in less than a year.
FEMA declared Lake County a disaster area in July, opening the door for homeowners to obtain grants and low-interest loans to offset the cost of flood damages. However, that designation did nothing to help out the governments who spent money to keep the latest floodwaters at bay.
"I'm absolutely thrilled," said Fox Lake Mayor Cindy Irwin. "This would have killed our budget. We couldn't afford another flood. So, I am so happy FEMA came through for us."
The Fox River north of Fox Lake rose 5 feet over flood levels after heavy rains slammed Northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin in late May and early June. That water flowed into the Chain O' Lakes, pushing it about 2.5 feet over flood stage.
About 400 homes in Antioch, Fox Lake, Antioch Township, Grant Township and Cuba Township were damaged.
The June flood was the worst of the three. In April, the Chain rose about 1 foot over flood stage and damaged about 100 homes. In August 2007, the Chain rose 2 feet over flood stage and impacted about 300 homes.
McKenzie said FEMA is expected to pick up at least 75 percent of all flood costs - potentially more depending on different programs and damages caused by the flooding. For example, he said under one program, FEMA would pick up 100 percent of the costs associated with sandbag removal.
McKenzie added local governments will need to file required documentation to get the reimbursement.
"We will be having a meeting next week with impacted communities to get them up to speed on how they can claim the money," McKenzie said. "So, there are still some hoops that we need to jump through. But, for right now, I'm happy we got it."