Flood claims handled well by FEMA, Des Plaines mayor says

Des Plaines Mayor Tony Arredia on Wednesday commended the performance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for its handling of flooding damage from September rains following Hurricane Ike.

FEMA, which stopped taking relief applications Tuesday, said that it received 47,546 requests for aid in Illinois and so far has paid out $54 million in flood recovery assistance. Of those applicants, 42,479 were from Cook County.

"I'm very happy," Arredia said of the much-criticized agency's performance. "I heard nobody complain."

Arredia said he also had been satisfied with the agency's performance during rain-related Des Plaines River flooding a year earlier. This time though, FEMA opened a temporary office in the city for a few weeks to help people apply for relief. When the office got fewer walk-ins than expected, FEMA worked with Arredia to get more people out.

"I had to go out and shake the bushes," Arredia said.

He said he especially appreciated the efforts of Jerry Grigsby and Bill Condon, community relations field specialists for the agency. Grigsby "was like wallpaper paste" sticking at the follow-up to make sure the effort went well, he said.

FEMA worked with two outside contractors to provide a turnaround time of two to three days in most cases for on-site inspections to verify claims, said Len DeCarlo, agency spokesman.

"It has been a very smooth operation," he said.