[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11038-11039]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     FLOODING IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, for the second time this year, Illinois 
communities are assessing damage and cleaning up after flooding. My 
thoughts and prayers are with the families and first responders in 
northern Illinois who are working to recover after heavy rain caused 
severe flooding in Lake, McHenry, Kane, and Cook Counties last week.
  The water has started to recede in some communities, but in some 
areas,

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water levels will likely continue rising this week. Thousands of 
buildings--including homes, businesses, and schools--have been damaged 
by floodwaters.
  Lake County has been one of the areas most impacted by this flooding. 
Last weekend, I visited two towns in this area--Libertyville and 
Gurnee--and I saw street after street of flood damage to homes and 
businesses. What I saw was heartbreaking. I spoke with residents who 
were concerned about being able to recover from the flood and resulting 
damages and who voiced the need to find long-term solutions that will 
mitigate the impact of future flood events. I am extremely grateful for 
the hard work of local first responders and county officials. 
Thankfully, there have been no reports of injuries or fatalities as a 
result of this historic flooding.
  I want to acknowledge the dedication of both the State and local 
employees and volunteers who have come out to help at every level, from 
the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross, to 
county emergency management agencies. Many volunteers have helped with 
sandbagging. County board chairman Aaron Lawlor has also been helpful 
in securing resources and making sure residents have information about 
where to find shelter and access cleanup supplies.
  People from all around the area are pitching in to help their 
neighbors and even strangers protect property and get back on their 
feet.
  I would also like to thank James Joseph, director of the Illinois 
Emergency Management Agency, for his hard work. He has been there 
during a time when Illinois constituents and communities need him the 
most.
  The State has provided 850,000 sandbags and deployed an emergency 
management assistance team for flood mitigation and response efforts. 
Representatives from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency are 
working closely with local officials to make sure communities have the 
resources needed to protect critical infrastructure and clean up when 
water begins to recede.
  The Governor has declared four counties State disaster areas. In the 
coming days, the State will work with FEMA and local officials to begin 
conducting preliminary damage assessments.
  Once we have an idea of the scope of the damage, the Governor has the 
ability to request a Presidential disaster declaration. In the past, it 
has been challenging for Illinois to receive Federal aid after a 
disaster occurs, but the Illinois delegation and I stand ready to do 
whatever we can to help get any Federal assistance needed so that these 
communities can clean up and recover.
  There is more work to be done, and cleanup may be difficult and 
dangerous, but I have no doubt the people who live and work in the 
impacted communities will make incredible progress rebuilding with the 
help and support of volunteers, local officials, and State agencies.
  I want to thank everyone who has been engaged in the response and 
mitigation efforts and all those who will be engaged in recovery 
efforts in the weeks to come. We will rebuild, as Illinoisans always 
do, and we will be stronger for it.

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