Kane County Flood Victims Getting $700K Aid

Residents of Kane County have so far seen been more than $700,000 in federal aid in response to damage done during September's flooding throughout the region.

More than 250 households are expected to receive funding, Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said.

FEMA spokesman Len DeCarlo said assistance included providing help with temporary housing while homes or rental units were being repaired, help with medical expenses and offering low-interest, disaster loans to homeowners, renters and small businesses.

He recommended people should consider applying for a loan -- being offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration -- as a more effective means of recouping more of their losses.

"That's really their best chance of getting to where they were before at the time of this storm because they're able to lend a lot more money toward repairs than they can get in grants typically," he said.

DeCarlo said loans can be designed with a person's availability to repay in mind, with the ability to stretch its life up to 30 years if needed.

"They want to minimize the impact on a family's budget," he said. "Get the property repaired and get them back with the minimum impact on their family budget."

Last month, FEMA officials were in affected neighborhoods to assess damage and provide information to residents on how to apply for aid.

More than 8 inches of rain fell throughout the area during the weekend of Sept. 12-14, causing flooding in a number of homes.

Few areas of the city were harder hit than homes near Poplar Creek on the southeast side, where overflow from the creek left nearby streets covered in several feet of water, as sewers were quickly overwhelmed, flooding basements of neighboring homes.

In all, more than 30 homes were "red-tagged" by the city's code enforcement department, determining them uninhabitable.

Elgin police Sgt. Brad Entler, head of the city's Office of Emergency Management, said as of Friday, 13 homes still remained red-tagged due to flood damage.

More than $45 million in federal aid has been allocated to eight counties throughout the region, most of which, around $34 million, is expected to go to the more than 17,000 households within Cook County approved for funding.

Since FEMA stepped in with relief efforts last month, many local agencies have stopped their aid operations as the number of people looking for assistance has dwindled.

Salvation Army of Elgin Major Ken Nicolai, whose agency was at the forefront of providing disaster relief to flood victims in the days right after the storms, said one family has sought help in the last month.

Thanks to the Salvation Army's efforts, more than 2,000 meals were handed out, and more than 200 people received help that eventually got them back into their homes.

"Everyone that we had in shelters are back in their homes," he said. "About 18 individuals."

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