Illinois asks for FEMA help after August storms

Illinois is asking the federal government for help recovering from August storms that left a trail of destruction through Chicago’s south suburbs and several central Illinois counties.

Gov. JB Pritzker requested a presidential major disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday for eight counties hit by tornadoes, high winds and flooding in mid-August. He also extended the state’s disaster proclamation for another month to continue making extra resources available to impacted communities.

“I will always fight to secure all available federal resources needed most by our communities, especially when the evidence gathered through the damage assessment is clear to pursue it,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Given the scale and severity of destruction in communities across our state, I fully expect our request for FEMA aid to be granted.”

The governor’s request covers Champaign, Cook, Ford, Fulton, McLean, Tazewell, Vermilion and Will counties. It comes after the state completed a preliminary damage assessment and determined the areas should meet the threshold for federal assistance and the damage is beyond the state’s ability to handle by itself.

Read more: Pritzker tours storm damage, signs flood relief bill expanding local Chicago programs

On Aug. 11, a storm produced tornadoes and wind gusts approaching 100 mph in southern Cook County and Will County, according to the National Weather Service. Many of those same communities were slammed by tornadoes and high winds on July 27 and were still recovering.

More storms on Aug. 13 brought significant wind damage to McLean County, where the Normal Fire Department said it set a new record for most calls during a 24-hour shift. Many communities in central Illinois reported flooding from another round of storms on Aug. 14.

If FEMA approves Pritzker’s request, the agency’s individual assistance program would be available to residents in counties impacted by the storms. The program provides grants for temporary housing or home repairs, loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other help for business owners. Local governments would also be able to use FEMA’s public assistance program to repair infrastructure and receive reimbursements for debris removal and emergency responses to the storms.

No guarantee

It’s no sure thing the federal government will approve Illinois’ request.

A Politico analysis earlier this year found Democrat-led states saw just 23% of their disaster requests granted in the first year of Trump’s second term, compared to 89% for their Republican counterparts. Under the past six administrations — including Trump’s first term — states led by either party saw similar rates of approval, between 70% and 90%. The analysis also found the administration takes twice as long to issue decisions on requests from blue states.

The federal government denied Illinois’ most recent requests for FEMA assistance in 2025 after parts of Chicago and the suburbs were hit hard by storms and flooding. The agency determined that both of these events did not qualify for federal aid.

Illinois also leads the nation in tornadoes, with 210 confirmed so far this year. Though many communities have been hard hit, the state has not asked FEMA for help until now. Instead, Pritzker asked for and received help from the U.S. Small Business Administration after six storm events this year.

President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to raise the threshold for events to qualify for FEMA disaster assistance. A review council recommended earlier this year that the agency raise the threshold for events to qualify as a federal disaster by 50%, which would’ve saved the federal government $1.5 billion in disaster relief between 2012 and 2025, according to NPR.

August’s storms also ushered in some political hot air. Pritzker’s Republican opponent, Darren Bailey, quickly visited communities impacted by the storms to declare Pritzker abdicated his duty by attending State Fair festivities on the same day instead. The governor visited storm-impacted residents in Lansing later that week, but Bailey said Pritzker should’ve already asked for FEMA’s help.

A state disaster declaration is “the kickoff of our attempt to get federal money,” Pritzker said at an Aug. 14 news conference. “That’s the signal. We take that document, that disaster declaration, and essentially present it to the federal government, saying, ‘We’ve declared a disaster, it’s time for you to deliver.’ And so it doesn’t need to happen on Day 1.”

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.