ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Mo. — A good amount of progress has been made in the Metro East after the historic flooding that hit the area in July.
On Thursday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that $5.5 million has been distributed to survivors between East St. Louis and Caseyville, Illinois. These areas were impacted by historic flooding between July 25 and 28.
It has been nearly a week since disaster recovery centers opened at the Clyde Jordan Senior Citizen Center in East St. Louis.
Staff stated about 700 residents in St. Clair County have been helped so far.
But they were still welcoming people to come to have one-on-one conversations with representatives about what they need to get their lives on track.
Kimberly Shanklin, who is a St. Clair County Precinct 19 Committee person, suffered her own share of the damage.
“I started making my own repairs...I was able to do that...a lot of people weren’t,” she said.
Representatives want survivors to know that each case is different, so they need to hear from people.
Region 5 External Affairs Officer for FEMA Craig Browning said we need to know their story.
"Everybody has a story," he said. "Everybody is impacted differently so that's why it's critical that we have these one-on-one conversations."
Browning also said that it was important for applicants to bring documentation proving their residency, including photos of the damage, and receipts from repairs.
“Show us what you've done to repair," he said. "A lot of times people are like...well, I haven't talked to FEMA yet...I can't make repairs yet."
"Yes, you can...just document the process,” he said.
This is the forward movement Shanklin and her fellow leaders have been fighting for.
“A lot of people lost a lot that we can't replace but this gives them some kind of comfort knowing that they can start over and at least start the process," she said.
The deadline to get registered is Dec. 16.
Residents can start the process online or give FEMA a call at 800-621-3362.
The Metro-East FEMA centers are located at:
Clyde Jordan Senior Citizen Center
6755 State Street
East St. Louis, IL 62203
Caseyville Village Hall
909 South Main Street
Caseyville, IL 62232
Hours of operation are:
Monday – Saturday, 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Both centers will be closed on Sundays.
For the week of Nov. 14, the hours are Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The week of Nov. 21 the hours are Monday-Tuesday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The centers are closed on Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after Thanksgiving. On Saturday, Nov. 26, the centers will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
No appointment is necessary to visit a Disaster Recovery Center. Walk-ins are welcome.
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