Cook, DuPage lead way in seeking federal flood help

More than $67 million in federal aid has been distributed to Illinois residents in seven counties who suffered property damage following flooding caused by heavy rains in late July and earlier this month.

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency said property owners and residents in the counties declared federal disaster areas nearly two weeks ago were given the funds directly. Residents in Cook and DuPage counties are eligible as well as those in five other downstate counties.

Residents affected by flooding from storms between July 22 and Aug. 7 have until Oct. 18 to apply for assistance through the federal agency. They may register at disasterassistance.gov or by calling (800) 621-3362 between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Much of the flooding occurred after a powerful storm rolled through the area July 24 and dumped eight inches of rain in a seven-hour span.

So far, almost 36,000 residents have applied for assistance, with the majority of applications coming from Cook County. Cook claims totaled 33,503 at the end of the day Monday. DuPage residents have logged 1,041. Applications in Carroll, Jo Daviess, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago counties totaled 1,135.

Federal officials have dispatched nearly 500 inspectors to the area to handle the claims. At last count, more than 2,500 inspections had been completed.

FEMA spokeswoman Kim Anderson said property owners should contact their insurers first and then contact FEMA for reimbursement possibilities for any damage not covered by the insurance.

A disaster recovery center has been opened at 5410 W. 34th St. in Cicero for residents who may want to meet in person with federal officials to discuss their options. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, including Labor Day.

Anderson also warned about potential scams.

"FEMA inspections do not cost anything," she said. "And even if you have suspicions, you can always call and make sure the inspector is who they say they are. You should never have to give out any personal information to an inspector."

DuPage County Board member Dirk Enger, who has been involved with recovery efforts even before the federal government declared the flooded regions disaster areas, said he's heard good things about the FEMA response.

"I hand-delivered applications forms to 33 residents in Carol Stream and I haven't heard back from them that anything went wrong," he said. "I have not heard of any difficulty with the process whatsoever."