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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The November 17, 2013 tornado outbreak was the
3deadliest and costliest in Illinois to occur in the month of
4November and fourth largest for the State overall; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Severe weather during the tornado outbreak caused
6over 100 injuries and 11 fatalities, 8 of which were tornado
7related; and
 
8    WHEREAS, With damage estimated at approximately $1.6
9billion, the tornado outbreak became the seventh weather event
10and fifth tornado outbreak in the United States to accrue over
11$1 billion in damage that year; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Tornadoes alone were responsible for $1.067
13billion in damage, with the EF4 tornado that struck Washington,
14Illinois accounting for $935 million of the total; and
 
15    WHEREAS, On January 9, 2014, the Federal Emergency
16Management Agency notified the State that it was denying a $6.1
17million request for local governments on the grounds that the
18damage wasn't severe enough; this decision impacted Champaign,
19Douglas, Grundy, Massac, Tazewell, Vermilion, Washington,
20Wayne, and Woodford counties; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The Federal Emergency Management Agency twice
2denied disaster funding to Harrisburg after it was demolished
3by tornadoes in 2012; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk have
5introduced the Fairness in Federal Disaster Declarations Act;
6both senators say that the current system for delivering
7federal disaster assistance funds discriminates against
8smaller communities in states with large population centers;
9therefore, be it
 
10    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
11NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
12urge Congress to pass the Fairness in Federal Disaster
13Declarations Act to ensure that Illinois residents who are
14impacted by deadly and destructive weather receive the level of
15assistance that they require; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
17delivered to the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United
18States House of Representatives, the Majority and Minority
19Leaders of the United States Senate, and the members of the
20Illinois congressional delegation.