Putnam County Added to FEMA Declaration

Putnam County residents are finally eligible for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, thanks to continued lobbying from Gov. Pat Quinn. Part of the basis of that lobbying came from the discovery of seven additional flood-damaged homes in the county.

“This is good news for county residents,” said Jim Goldasich, director of Putnam County Emergency Management Agency. “I expect to hear from FEMA soon where and when we’ll set up for claims.”

The deadline to apply for federal flood disaster aid for people affected by April flooding has been extended to July 24. The state requested the extension on July 2 to enable people affected by flooding in federally-designated counties to seek grants and loans to help with their recovery. The original registration deadline was July 9.

“I appreciate the Obama administration’s quick action on our request to extend the deadline as well as our appeal to add Putnam County in the declaration,” Quinn said. “With more than 1,000 people still registering for federal aid each day, there are many people who really need this help. This 15-day extension will ensure that residents who most need federal disaster aid have the opportunity to apply. I urge anyone who was affected by flooding between April 16 and May 5 to register now.”

“It’s encouraging to have them revisit their decision and reconsider us,” said Duane Calbow, Putnam County Board chairman. “This will help a lot of people stricken by the flood.”

To date, more than 49,300 applications for disaster aid have been approved with more than $122.4 million in grants awarded to help people with flood-related expenses. In addition, the U.S. Small Business Administration has approved $25.4 million in disaster assistance loans.

Registration for disaster aid can be completed online at www.disasterassistance.gov, via web-enabled phone at m.fema.gov, or by phone at 800-621-3362 (TTY 800-462-7585).

Source: Putnam County Record