FEMA denies federal aid for Illinois residents, businesses

Record flooding devastated the Illinois locales of East Cape Girardeau and McClure and closed the Bill Emerson Bridge for weeks earlier this year, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency has concluded the damage was not enough to warrant federal assistance for residents and businesses in Alexander County and 21 other counties in the state.

"It's really devastating," East Cape Girardeau Mayor Joe Aden said Friday. "There is not a question of all the damage to homes and businesses. There is no doubt about it."

He said, "We have never had anything like that before."

High water on the Mississippi River, coupled with flooding from seep water and heavy rains, plagued the area.

"There wasn't any place for it to go," Aden said.

Commuters waded through floodwaters to reach the safety of the bridge en route to jobs on the Missouri side of the river.

The river remained above flood stage for months, cresting June 10 at 46.3 feet at Cape Girardeau, 14.3 feet above flood stage, according to the National Weather Service.

This year's crest was the fifth-highest recorded at the Cape Girardeau riverfront, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which has tracked river crest data since the 1800s

In a letter to Illinois, FEMA said federal officials "determined the impact to individuals and households from this event is not of such severity and magnitude to warrant the designation of individual assistance," according to the state government website.

Illinois officials said the state will appeal the decision.

On Aug. 28, the state submitted requests for federal assistance to help people and businesses recover and to reimburse local governments for some of their disaster-related expenses.

In his request, Gov. J.B. Pritzker outlined more than $69 million in direct losses, including over $8.2 million in losses to individuals, damage to more than 1,400 homes and a direct impact to 2.1 million people.

"Illinois' proud and cherished river communities have experienced an unprecedented tragedy at the hands of Mother Nature. They deserve the resources that will allow them to rebuild and thrive," said Alicia Tate-Nadeau, acting director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA).

"On behalf of the families of the seven people that died, the individuals who were forced from their homes and the business owners who have feared for their economic viability, the State of Illinois will aggressively fight on your behalf," she said in a news release posted on the state's website.

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