PONTIAC - At least 200 more flood-damaged homes have been found in Pontiac, but the mayor doesn't think the increased numbers will make any difference to the federal agency that doles out help.

"With what happened last time and the discussions and meetings that I've been in, I'm even more confused and frustrated than ever," said Mayor Scott McCoy. "What I really dislike about the FEMA program thus far is that it's either all or nothing … and there is not even a small assistance program available."

Hundreds of homes in Pontiac, Watseka and Iroquois County were damaged in January when the Vermilion River flooded. Although the areas won state declarations of emergency, the federal government did not apply the same designation.

On Monday, Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Gene Romano said about 300 new homes or homes with additional damage had been identified in Watseka and Iroquois County and about 200 new cases were found in Pontiac.

The new numbers nearly doubled the figures presented in the original assessment. FEMA workers scoured all three areas since mid last week to find damage was the previously missed.

"I think it was a case of where all parties involved weren't aware of the damages or additional damages at the time," Romano said. "These homes might have been seen initially but are now reporting more damages, which changes the overall category."

FEMA and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency used numbers gathered by local officials, who are conducting their own assessment as part of an appeal process for the designation.

"We are looking at the new information and are also, in some cases, talking with local officials to gather any additional impact of the flooding," Romano said. "We certainly would like to commend the local officials for their effort in both communities."

McCoy said Pontiac aldermen helped city workers Saturday, going door-to-door in each of Pontiac's five wards to make sure that all information had been collected. McCoy appreciates the help that the city has received from IEMA and FEMA.

"They now know what they are looking for as we have put all of this information together and … then they went door-to-door to verify what we had found," McCoy said. "I wanted to be able to take control of this thing and know what direction this would be going."

In denying a federal designation, FEMA said the damage was not beyond the scope of local and state governments. An appeal process gives 30 days to finish a new assessment, which will be given to IEMA for review. The governor then decides whether to appeal to FEMA and President George W. Bush.

A federal declaration can provide cash grants to repair damaged homes and low-interest loans to businesses.