Gov. Rauner requests federal help for Northwest suburban flood victims

Gov. Bruce Rauner has asked President Donald Trump to approve federal assistance for people affected by flooding and severe storms in July in Cook, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties.

"The information gathered during the recent damage assessments illustrates the difficult road many people face as they try to recover from the record and near-record flooding we experienced in July," Gov. Rauner said in a news release. "Federal assistance would provide the much-needed help many need to repair their homes and replace personal property that was destroyed."

Joint assessment teams from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration reviewed damage in the four counties during August, identifying more than 3,200 homes that were damaged, including 244 homes with major damage, and 2,985 with less severe damage.

If the request for individual assistance is approved, people would be eligible to apply for grants and low-interest loans. Affected businesses also would be able to apply for low-interest loans.

Rauner met with federal and state officials Aug. 18 in Fox Lake to get a firsthand assessment as investigators with FEMA began working with state and local officials on a formal flood damage assessment for the region. FEMA officers went door-to-door to detail damage after the Chain O' Lakes crested about 4 feet over normal summer levels and see if it met the levels required to get federal assistance.

The state still is working with municipalities, counties and other governments to document their flood-related costs to determine whether they meet the $18.3 million threshold to obtain federal assistance and receive reimbursement for flood-related expenses.