Federal disaster relief denied for McHenry County storm damage
McHenry County officials are working with state agencies to appeal the denial of federal disaster relief for severe storms that swept through the county in August.
County leaders are asking people affected by the storms to fill out an online residential self-assessment survey by Nov. 7 if they have not already done so.
The county, especially the southeastern portion, was ravaged by severe storms and flooding Aug. 16 to 19.
Storms that came through Aug. 16 brought heavy rainfall, winds exceeding 70 mph and hail. Fox River Grove at one point was without power, and Cary Mayor Mark Kownick declared a state of emergency.
Another round of storms came through Aug. 19, setting off tornado sirens in McHenry and putting parts of northwestern Kane County under a tornado warning.
McHenry County officials have sought assistance for cleanup efforts, and preliminary damage assessment teams paid the county a visit in September to assess damage and collect information to help Illinois Emergency Management Agency officials pursue all available avenues of assistance.
Other places affected by the storms included Chicago, Aurora and portions of Cook, Will, Kane, Boone, Jersey and Calhoun counties, McHenry County officials said in a news release.
Officials said more virtual assessments will be done to collect updated documentation and help strengthen the state’s request.
Information can include photos of damage; documentation of alternative housing needs; reports of illness or effects on health; mold remediation efforts; or the need to replace furnaces, water heaters or major appliances.
The Associated Press reported that the Trump administration denied a request from Illinois officials for individual assistance after July floods in three counties. Illinois, Maryland and Vermont had disaster relief requests denied, the news bureau reported. All three are blue states.
Illinois officials said the denied request covered severe flooding in July and August.
Alaska, a red state, had an expedited request approved after back-to-back storms in October.