Pritzker: Unclear if tornado-stricken areas will qualify for federal relief

A week after a tornado sliced through parts of Naperville and Woodridge, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said his office was looking into the extent of damage to see if it warrants federal disaster funds, but at least one of the mayors remains doubtful that storm-stricken areas would qualify for aid.

At an event Monday in Chicago, Pritzker said officials are trying to tally up the damage from the tornado to determine whether to request assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"What we generally look for in a disaster declaration is whether or not we can get reimbursement by the federal government," Pritzker said. "Unfortunately, over the last number of years, the federal government has raised its guidance for how much money you need to have in damages in an area before getting federal help. That number is almost $20 million. That's the federal guideline."

The nighttime tornado thrashed Naperville and Woodridge neighborhoods late June 20, damaging hundreds of homes, injuring at least 11 people, knocking out power to thousands of utility customers and toppling trees.

Naperville Mayor Steve Chirico said tornado-damaged areas likely won't meet federal requirements to qualify.

"We don't see how we would be able to hit that, those types of numbers," he said.

Naperville also is tracking costs incurred by the city in recovery efforts.

"We're not going to be talking about millions," Chirico said. "We're going to be talking about hundreds of thousands probably."

Chirico said Pritzker reached out to him after the tornado and offered state assistance.

"We didn't take it just because we felt like we had so much mutual aid and our own staff was just so prepared for this," Chirico said.

He credited training exercises funded by a federal grant for helping to prepare Naperville and neighboring Aurora for a crisis like the tornado that packed winds of up to 140 miles per hour. As a mutual aid city, Aurora also lent Naperville a tub grinder to remove tree debris.

"We're almost cleaned up," Chirico said Tuesday. "We're about 90% cleaned up right now, so we've been able to do this locally."

This past weekend, a resource center for tornado victims assembled federal, state and local agencies. More than 350 families visited the center in a Woodridge junior high, village officials said.