Severe Weather

Feds denied aid for August storms, ruling it ‘not warranted’

County officials hope updated documentation, estimates, invoices and receipts will strengthen the aid request following the August storms.

The Trump administration on Thursday denied Illinois' request for federal disaster relief in McLean County and seven other counties, after days of severe weather hit the state in August.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood said Wednesday he is working with the Trump administration to secure federal aid for McLean County and surrounding counties damaged by storms in August.

If FEMA approves the disaster declaration, it would make a number of programs available to help residents and property owners recover, including grant funding for temporary housing and home repairs, along with low-interest loans to cover uninsured property damage.

The system is similar to notifications set up in Bloomington and Normal, with some overlap, used to share pertinent information county-wide or by quadrant. The county can now send push notifications to automatically alert cell phones in a targeted area of weather and public safety emergencies.

Illinois has already experienced a record-breaking number of tornadoes in 2026, but this year even thunderstorms are proving to be dangerous.

McLean County emergency managers are hopeful the county will qualify for federal help following the storms that hit the Bloomington-Normal area in mid-August.

State and federal emergency management officials announced upcoming assessments of damage caused by the recent severe storms and flooding.

The Bloomington city manager said a long public forum on data centers this week was just the early part of the discussion about data center policy.