harrisburg News

FEMA Denies Appeal; Harrisburg Fire Chief Says Town ‘Will Survive’

Harrisburg Fire Chief Bill Summers says his southern Illinois town will recover from last month’s deadly tornado with or without FEMA help. Summers says he’s not surprised that FEMA has denied the state’s appeal for disaster assistance. The agency turned …

Municipal Defaults – Already 21 in 2012 – Another Blow for Bond Insurers

A growing number of U.S. cities are choosing to fund essential services like public safety and garbage collection over making payments on their outstanding debt, as rising costs and falling revenue deplete their budgets. So far, the bond defaults are …

Illinois to Recalculate Storm Damage Cost for FEMA

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has given Illinois more time to recalculate the tornado damage to southern parts of the state to bolster its push to reverse the denial of aid, Sen. Dick Durbin said. FEMA administrator Craig Fugate made …

FEMA Begins Survey of Illinois Tornado Damage

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on March 5 began surveying the damage from tornadoes and other severe weather that roiled southern Illinois last week, starting in the small town of Harrisburg, where six people were killed and 100 injured by …