New office to help disaster victims

By Mary Louise Speer
Quad City Times, Davenport, IA

Published Monday, July 14, 2008

Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias and his staff hosted a town hall meeting on disaster recovery in Moline on Monday and celebrated the opening of a satellite office in the Rock Island County Building at 1504 Third Ave., Rock Island.

That new location gives Illinois Quad-City residents easier access to the treasurer’s office and programs that help them deal with events such as the recent floods. Storm victims in disaster areas are eligible for low-interest loans to finance repairs.

“You know this area has been declared a federal disaster area and a state disaster area,” said Patrick Conlon, program director for the treasurer’s office.

In order to be eligible for a disaster recovery loan from the treasurer’s office, borrowers are required to be Illinois residents, farmers or businesses with damaged property in an area declared a state or federal disaster area, he said.

These can be used to remedy situations such as ruined farmland or basements impacted by the June floods, he said.

So far this year, the office has funded about $400,000 in assistance. However, people need to file an application within 90 days of the state or federal disaster declaration. They can call the treasurer’s disaster recovery hot line at (866) 523-0641.

“We’re trying to get back to the borrower and the bank within 48 hours after we receive the documents,”

Conlon said. However, “it is not a loan guarantee, unfortunately. It’s not a grant.”

Gary Westbrook, 7th Ward alderman in East Moline, is concerned about constituents in the aftermath of the June 13 flash floods. “In the Watertown area, where the flash flood occurred, within 2-3 days the water was gone and people wanted to get back in their homes,” he said.

The American Red Cross of the Quad-Cities Area provided emergency assistance after that event. People spent some of their own money trying to get back in their houses, he said.

Flood assistance

FEMA is taking applications at the East Moline Fire Station 22 on 1523 Morton Drive. The hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., through Saturday.

Project Now is hosting a program on grants for flood-related assistance, noon to 6 p.m. Thursday at Community Outreach Church, 319 12th St. East Moline.

The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2450 or newsroom@qctimes.com.