Illinois asks for FEMA help after August storms
[September 17, 2026]
By Ben Szalinski
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.
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.
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Storm damage can be seen throughout Lansing on Aug. 14, 2026.
(Capitol News Illinois photo by Maggie Dougherty)
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.
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