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Illinois denied federal disaster assistance in August storms

The director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture says the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s decision to deny disaster assistance to several Illinois counties following a series of August storms is concerning.

Jerry Costello says a letter from FEMA stated that assistance was “not warranted.”

“We’ve had a lot of straight-line winds, not just tornadoes. Up north, we’ve had flooding.”  He says, “The parameters have been met, and the federal government needs to declare those natural disasters.”

He says a declaration would grant impacted farmers and communities access to additional resources to aid in rebuilding.

“They need access to that capital.”  He says, “Someone’s grain bin is taken down. If their barns are taken down, those things are exactly what these federal disaster dollars are designed for, and our farmers are owed that money.”

AUDIO: Jerry Costello – Illinois Department of Agriculture

U.S. Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, who represents portions of the affected areas, tells Brownfield, “My bigger concern is for the same storms that happened in Indiana, they were able to get their declaration.”  She says, “We really shouldn’t be playing politics, in my opinion, with emergency response.”

Costello says the state plans to appeal the denial. 

Governor J.B. Pritzker previously issued a state disaster declaration for the storms that impacted Champaign, Cook, Ford, Fulton, McLean, Tazewell, Vermilion, and Will Counties.

AUDIO: Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski