McLean County business owners, property owners, and renters who suffered damage from storms that wreaked havoc on portions of the county on June 25, 26 and 27 can expect to see emergency management crews going door-to-door on Friday, July 2 and Saturday, July 3.
McLean County issued a Declaration of Local Disaster earlier this week as a result of widespread damage from the three days of storms. The purpose of the declaration, which remains in effect for 7 days total, is to assist in getting a thorough assessment of all damage that occurred during that time frame.
The local damage assessment is a requirement in determining eligibility for federal funding. Federal funding will not be made available if the damage assessment total does not meet a minimal threshold.
“It all starts with the process locally, in this case McLean County, and their Emergency Management side of things,” said State Rep. Dan Brady. “Assessing with the partnership of the state and asking for help. Eventually you get to a declaration made by the Governor for federal help to come in to McLean County, Bloomington-Normal or the whole part of the state. That still remains to be seen because you have these pockets of severity.”
Property owners most affected by the storms can expect to be paid a visit by an assessment team, which will be collecting only basic information about the type of damage that occurred, the level of damage, whether the property is owned or leased, and basic insurance coverages. All damage assessment crews will carry proper identification, and residents should always take steps to protect their personal information.
“McLean County officials have a short window of time to collect this information, followed by a series of tight deadlines, ” said Cathy Beck, Acting Director of the McLean County Emergency Management Agency. “We very much appreciate the collaborative team effort of all involved, including residents, many of whom are still cleaning up from the damage. It’s our goal to do everything we can to assist you.”
Property owners who are not home at the time of the visit will be left an informational flier on how to contact McLean County emergency management, including a link to a damage assessment form. Residents affected by the storms would need to have that form completed by 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 3.
Alongside county, city, and town crews, I-EMA will spend some time this weekend in the Twin Cities collecting data on storm damage.
As a result of the of the McLean County Declaration of Disaster released this week, I-EMA is dispatching a team to help in determining the level of damage to properties in Bloomington.
“Public Works crews in the City of Bloomington have clocked over 300 hours in overtime doing clean up,” stated in a press release sent by Communications and External Affairs Katherine Murphy.
Bulk Waste Pick Up
Public Works crews will be collecting bulk waste from July 6-19 for the July 2021 Special Bulk Pickup.
“This is part of the City’s effort to help clean up after a series of flooding events during the last weekend in June 2021. The service is offered at no additional charge for Solid Waste Program users,” stated a press release sent by Murphy.
All bulk waste must be placed in separate piles behind the curb by 6:00 a.m. on the
scheduled date. During this special pickup, brush pickup will be suspended.
For more information on solid waste, including bulk waste rules, regulations, and acceptable materials, visit www.cityblm.org/solidwaste, email publicworks@cityblm.org or call 309-434-2225 during regular business hours.
