Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Financial Assistance For McHenry County Recent Flood Victims

On June 26, McHenry County experienced its second flooding event of the year which resulted in over 200 McHenry County homes experiencing moderate to significant losses.  Following the 4.53 inches of rain that fell in Crystal Lake and 6.15 inches in Cary, McHenry County appealed to the State of Illinois to pursue disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration to provide disaster assistance for these residents. 
“Unfortunately thresholds were not met for either of these disaster relief programs for our County residents,” stated County Board Chairwoman Tina Hill.  “As a result, the McHenry County Community Foundation has created a disaster relief fund to assist those affected.  Further, the County is pursuing using the Long Term Recovery group of the Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) to get residents back on their feet.”
To donate to the disaster assistance fund, visit the McHenry County Community Foundation website by clicking here and indicate in the comments section that funds are to be used for “Disaster Assistance”.
Alternatively, County residents affected by the severe storms, straight line winds, or flooding during the period of April 16th to May 5th, 2013 are strongly urged to call or go online to register for disaster assistance from FEMA.  The last day for McHenry County residents to register for Individual Assistance through FEMA is Thursday, August 8.    
Affected residents and business owners have several ways to apply.
+ Individuals can call 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the speech- and hearing-impaired. If you use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.
+Another option is to register online at: www.disasterassistance.gov or via web-enabled phone or tablet at m.fema.gov.
For further flood recovery information, please visit the McHenry County Flood Recovery Center.

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