Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is offering $45 million dollars in state funding to help communities recover from November's deadly tornadoes.
An estimated two dozen tornadoes hit Illinois on Nov. 17, killing seven people and damaging or destroying thousands of structures. State Emergency Management Agency Director Jonathon Monken was with the governor Wednesday morning as they visited the hardest-hit town of Washington: “The state assistance program that has been put together by the Governor in this instance is unprecedented in the state of Illinois. We’ve never done anything like it. $45 Million is going to go an extremely long way to make sure that the promises made that these communities will rebuild is really going to come true.”
Quinn visited Washington and Brookport today to announce the relief plan. In a statement late Tuesday, Quinn said the Federal Emergency Management Agency decision was based on outdated federal rules and not the serious need existing in Illinois communities. Federal aid was given to people and businesses affected by those tornadoes, but FEMA denied the state's request for assistance to local governments, which Quinn says have incurred $6.1 million in storm-related expenses.
