Gov. JB Pritzker has issued a disaster proclamation for McLean County and 14 other Illinois counties following severe storms and flooding last week.
Champaign, Ford, Marshall and Tazewell counties are also included in the proclamation, which makes additional state resources available to assist response and recovery efforts.
"I know these storms have impacted countless Illinois families and requires we band together to help them recover. As this relentless and unprecedented weather continues to wreak havoc across our region, I remain committed to ensuring those impacted get the resources and help they need,” Pritzker said in a statement.
The counties stretch from the suburban Chicago [Kane, Lake and Will] to far Southern Illinois [Alexander and Pulaski] and includes storms that occurred May 16, June 10-11, June 19-29, July 2-4 and July 27].
In McLean County, the proclamation cites the storms that hit Aug. 13-16, when parts of Bloomington-Normal received close to 9 inches of rain in less than 48 hours.
Bloomington and Normal both issued disaster declarations and said the storm and flood damage was widespread.
The proclamation enables rural communities to apply for up to $250,000 in Community Development Block Grant’s Disaster Response funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Pritzker has also directed the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security [IEMA-OHS] to coordinate with federal agencies to identify additional resources to help with recovery.
The governor’s office notes Illinois leads the nation in tornadoes this year with 204.
