FEMA tours DuPage County

An emergency management team descended Tuesday on DuPage County to help determine if those who suffered severe storm damage will be able to apply for federal relief.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich declared DuPage a state disaster area last month after storms plowed through.

High winds and drenching rain blasted DuPage on Aug. 23, injuring dozens of people, downing thousands of trees and leaving many without power for days.

Local emergency personnel Tuesday gave a tour of the county's storm-ravaged areas for representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Small Business Administration.

They visited a West Chicago business where 40 people were injured when a roof collapsed, in addition to a Naperville house that sustained storm damage. Other areas were toured in Villa Park and Winfield Township.

Additional houses and businesses throughout the county are expected to be visited this week. Similar assessment teams are touring parts of Lake, Cook, Will, Kane and DeKalb counties.

"It's way too early to speculate if we'll be asking for a federal disaster declaration," said Patti Thompson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. "At this point, we're simply trying to gather all the information."

People would be able to apply for federal aid only if DuPage receives a federal disaster declaration. Such aid would come in the form of low-interest loans, grants or reimbursements.

Since DuPage already has been declared a state disaster area, storm victims may be eligible for low-interest loans through the state treasurer's office.

For information about the state loans, call (312) 814-1244.