State, local officials need help in appealing Trump administration’s denial of federal disaster money for summer flood damage

CHICAGO — Illinois plans to appeal the Trump administration’s denial of federal disaster money for two flooding events this past summer that caused damage in several counties, including Cook County and in the City of Chicago.

President Donald Trump last week approved major disaster declarations for Alaska, Nebraska, North Dakota and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, while denying requests from Vermont, Illinois and Maryland.

State and local officials say they need help, and they need it quickly, in order to have a chance of the appeal getting approved and then getting federal money to those impacted by the flooding.

“We need to hear what is happening in your home, what have you not been able to recuperate, what are some potential losses you’re still facing?” Kaila Lariviere of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management (OEMC) said at a news conference Wednesday.

Summer storms in late July and mid-August caused massive flooding in cities and towns in seven Illinois counties, including in Chicago. The flooding resulted in widespread property damage, so much so that the state made a disaster declaration and asked for federal funds to help limit the impact the damage had on residents and city and county services.

The Trump administration denied the request last week.

“I can’t say that it’s unusual,” Greg Nimmo of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency-Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) said Wednesday. “I do say it’s the first denial we’ve had in Illinois, and this one has more representative samples of the damage than any one we’ve had previously.”

Regardless, officials at the state and local levels launched their bid to appeal the denial. They have until Nov. 21 to get their appeal in.

In order to be successful, officials have to prove new damage and prolonged damaged due to the flooding. They need new damage surveys filled out, which they’ll be going door to door and posting QR codes in damaged neighborhoods to acquire.

“My plea would be, if you filled this thing out before, don’t think you’re good to go,” Nimmo said. “We need more now than ever to understand where you’re at today, so we can use that information as part of the appeal to show that federal assistance is still needed.”

Officials need photos and documentation of housing needs and health needs, including mold remediation and housesold equipment like water heaters and furnaces that still aren’t working, to have a shot at being successful with their appeal.

“What that’s going to do is paint that picture that we as the City of Chicago and the various counties that were impacted … need (for) assistance,” Lariviere said. “We need assistance for our residents.”

The following state website is dedicated to this appeals process: iemaohs.illinois.gov/recovery.