United States: Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that an emergency exists in the State of Illinois and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from severe storms, straight-line winds, and tornadoes on December 10th, 2021. The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population.
To provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Bond, Cass, Coles, Effingham, Fayette, Jersey, Macoupin, Madison, Montgomery, Morgan, Moultrie, Pike, and Shelby steps have been taken to coordinate.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 per cent Federal funding. Deanne Criswell, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Brian F. Schiller as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.
At least 88 people across five U.S. states have been confirmed dead after a swarm of tornadoes tore through communities in the South and the Midwest over the weekend. There were at least 44 tornadoes reported across nine states between Friday night and early Saturday morning unusual for December in the United States. Kentucky was the worst-hit state, with at least 74 confirmed fatalities, according to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who cautioned that figure “is fluid” and “will change.”