WASHINGTON, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–May 6, 2014. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has awarded a $1,297,179 grant to repair the Quincy Waste Water Treatment plant in Quincy, Illinois. The plant was damaged by severe storms and flooding between April and May in 2013.
“This federal funding will help rebuild a critical part of Quincy’s infrastructure that protects the health and safety of local residents,” Durbin said. “As we saw with last year’s storms in Central Illinois, natural disasters can cause devastating amounts of damage in a short period of time. Such events can cost towns like Quincy millions of dollars, and it is important that the federal government steps in to help when it can. I will continue to work with my colleagues to advance legislation that makes sure FEMA is exhausting all available options when future weather events occur in Illinois and across the country.”
In January, Durbin introduced the Fairness in Federal Disaster Declarations Act to make sure areas, like Quincy, would continue to receive fair treatment in the federal disaster declaration process in case of future severe weather events. The bill would ensure that communities in downstate Illinois would not be penalized and denied assistance based on total state population. The bill would require FEMA to give a specified weight to each of the factors considered when determining which communities are eligible for two types of federal assistance, Individual and Public. It would also require FEMA to take into consideration local economic factors including: the local assessable tax base, the median income as it compares to that of the state, and the poverty rate as it compares to that of the state.
Source: durbin.senate.gov
