The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied Illinois' request for federal assistance to help residents, businesses and municipalities recover from flooding in about two dozen counties.FEMA administrator W. Craig Fugate said in a letter notifying the state of the denial that the damage from floods and severe storms isn't beyond the capabilities of the state, affected municipalities and voluntary agencies.
The state on Feb. 26 submitted a request for individual assistance to help residents and businesses recover, and public assistance to reimburse municipalities for disaster-related expenses. Both forms of federal assistance were denied by the agency.
Illinois Emergency Management Agency director James K. Joseph said in a news release that he'll reach out to the affected counties to see if there's any additional information that would support an appeal of the denial.
