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Full Streator tornado recovery could take years · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Full Streeter tornado recovery could take years. Written by Emily Beebe.
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  Speaker 1: This article is being read by an automated voice brought
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  Speaker 1: to you by Everlit. Nearly three months after a series
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  Speaker 1: of tornadoes tore through Streator, the city is working to
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  Speaker 1: connect residents with financial resources while a federal disaster loan
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  Speaker 1: deadline approaches. The June tornadoes damaged 91 structures, including homes
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  Speaker 1: and outbuildings. according to an assessment by the Streeter Fire Department.
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  Speaker 1: Most displaced residents stayed with family or friends rather than
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  Speaker 1: emergency shelters. The Red Cross set up a shelter at
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  Speaker 1: a local Lutheran church but had a population of zero
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  Speaker 1: the entire time, according to Streeter City Manager Yates McLaughlin.
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  Speaker 1: We're in more of the long-term recovery phase right now,
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  Speaker 1: McLaughlin said. A lot of our efforts are tied to
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  Speaker 1: fund distribution and long-term applications for tornado relief as well
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  Speaker 1: as getting people connected with the right resources. McLaughlin was
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  Speaker 1: on his eighth day of employment when the tornadoes hit.
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  Speaker 1: About 80 to 90% of the debris was cleared within
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  Speaker 1: the first few weeks, and the remaining work has focused
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  Speaker 1: on tree trimming and removal. The Starved Rock Country Community
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  Speaker 1: Foundation and St. Vincent de Paul have raised tens of
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  Speaker 1: thousands of dollars for tornado victims. They are paying invoices
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  Speaker 1: directly for residents who need repairs. A funders forum that
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  Speaker 1: includes McLaughlin and Strater Mayor Tara Betty meets weekly to
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  Speaker 1: review cases and distribute funds. Fewer than 10 residents applied
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  Speaker 1: for SBA disaster loans across LaSalle County, with about $ 26, 000
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  Speaker 1: awarded total, McLaughlin said. The Small Business Administration had representatives
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  Speaker 1: at Strater City Hall for two full weeks. SBA loans
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  Speaker 1: offer rates as low as 2%, with deferred payments for
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  Speaker 1: up to 12 months and are available to residents as
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  Speaker 1: well as businesses. Vanessa Santiago, a public affairs specialist with
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  Speaker 1: the SBA Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience, said residents
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  Speaker 1: who missed the September 8th deadline still have 60 days
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  Speaker 1: to apply. Some residents have received SBA loans in as
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  Speaker 1: little as 21 days, and those waiting on insurance payouts
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  Speaker 1: can apply for an SBA loan first and have the
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  Speaker 1: insurance company pay the SBA back. The biggest challenge in
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  Speaker 1: the recovery process has been outreach, McLaughlin said. The city
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  Speaker 1: has promoted resources through social media, message boards, and a
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  Speaker 1: multi-agency resource center with state agencies. Staff at City Hall
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  Speaker 1: direct residents who come in for building permits to tornado
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  Speaker 1: relief applications if they need them. We can't necessarily go
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  Speaker 1: door-to-door with everybody, McLaughlin said. We just want to make
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  Speaker 1: sure that those who are affected by the tornado have
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  Speaker 1: all the resources they need. Streeter is also applying for
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  Speaker 1: a community development block grant through the state that would
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  Speaker 1: provide $ 250, 000 per county for reimbursement of cleanup costs, including
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  Speaker 1: debris removal, overtime for police and firefighters, and equipment expenses.
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  Speaker 1: The application is due in September. Full recovery could take years.
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  Speaker 1: McLaughlin said the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation made its
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  Speaker 1: final payment for the 2017 Naplate, Ottawa tornado incident just
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  Speaker 1: two weeks before the June tornadoes hit Strader. McLaughlin and
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  Speaker 1: Fire Chief Brian Park are planning to update the city's
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  Speaker 1: disaster plan and emergency operations manual after a recent debrief
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  Speaker 1: with the emergency operations team. The community response was immediate,
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  Speaker 1: McLaughlin said. People drove truckloads of donations to City Hall.
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  Speaker 1: Residents brought food for staff and organized drives and events
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  Speaker 1: to support those affected. It's just a true testament to
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  Speaker 1: how incredible this community is, McLaughlin said. People were taken
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  Speaker 1: care of, not just from the city, but from their neighbors.
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  Speaker 1: Residents who suffered physical damage can apply for SBA disaster
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  Speaker 1: loans online at sba.gov slash disaster. The deadline for physical
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  Speaker 1: damage loans is September 8th, with a 60-day extension available
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  Speaker 1: after that date.