* Gov. JB Pritzker….

The Trump Administration’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has officially denied the State of Illinois’ request for a major disaster declaration after severe storms, derecho, flooding, and tornadoes devastated communities across the state this August. In a letter dated October 7th, Trump’s FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton stated that assistance for affected counties was “not warranted.” ​

“Our communities are still picking up the pieces from the destruction caused by severe weather this summer. Donald Trump should never play politics with their homes, businesses, and infrastructure,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “When a massive storm system crosses state lines, the resulting damage should be evaluated fairly, consistently and based on the same objective standards and criteria, regardless of which state it impacts. Illinois will continue to explore every available option to help our communities recover and the survivors rebuild their lives after devastating storms.” ​

Illinois’ request was for individual and public assistance to the affected counties of Champaign, Cook, Ford, Fulton, McLean, Tazewell, Vermilion, and Will. The State of Illinois will be appealing this decision given the extent of the damage – including extensive property and infrastructure damage, power outages, flooding, and more. ​ ​

Governor JB Pritzker issued a state disaster proclamation after these storms that made additional state resources available to support response efforts and recovery operations including funding for impacted communities, additional personnel and equipment, and streamlined procurement. Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) and other Illinois agencies were also on the ground supporting local and county officials with damage assessments, debris cleanup, power restoration and mutual aid assistance.

“This is not the update we hoped to share with the communities that continue to recover from the devastating storms we experienced in August,” said IEMA-OHS Director Theodore (Ted) Berger. “While we are disappointed by this decision, our mission has not changed. IEMA-OHS will continue to work alongside our local partners to assess their needs and coordinate available resources for impacted communities. We will continue to advocate for the communities and residents in need of assistance.”

This year, Illinois has experienced record-breaking weather, from torrential downpours, flash flooding, straight-line winds and several tornadoes – leading the nation with approximately 212 tornadoes verified by the National Weather Service (NWS) already this year.

While President Trump continues to politicize and destroy the integrity of the federal disaster funding process and refuses to respond when resources are objectively warranted, Governor Pritzker remains grounded in the facts and will continue to pursue all available options to secure relief for impacted Illinoisans as they recover and rebuild.

* Related…

* CBS Chicago | Republican Rep. Darin LaHood asks President Trump for Illinois storm damage recovery help: Nearly two months after severe storms devastated parts of northern and central Illinois, Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood is asking President Trump for more help. LaHood sent a letter to Mr. Trump asking him to issue a “major disaster declaration,” which would allow for more resources to help recover, rebuild and repair damaged infrastructure. Starting on Aug. 11, several days of storms brought tornadoes, powerful winds and extensive flooding to the Chicago area. Many residents and local governments are still working to recover.

* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois asks for FEMA help after August storms: If FEMA approves Pritzker’s request, the agency’s individual assistance program would be available to residents in counties impacted by the storms. The program provides grants for temporary housing or home repairs, loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other help for business owners. Local governments would also be able to use FEMA’s public assistance program to repair infrastructure and receive reimbursements for debris removal and emergency responses to the storms. […] The federal government denied Illinois’ most recent requests for FEMA assistance in 2025 after parts of Chicago and the suburbs were hit hard by storms and flooding. The agency determined that both of these events did not qualify for federal aid.

* AP | Trump is taking longer to approve disaster aid and denying Democratic states more frequently: During his second term, Trump has denied a greater percentage of disaster requests than any president dating to 1989. Those denials have not been evenly distributed among states. Trump has approved 80% of the disaster requests from Republican governors but only about 60% from Democratic governors, according to the AP’s analysis of FEMA data.

* (2025) Stateline | Trump denies disaster aid, tells states to do more: “The Federal Government focuses its support on truly catastrophic disasters—massive hurricanes, devastating earthquakes, or wide-scale attacks on the homeland,” Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the National Security Council, which advises the president on issues of national security, said in a statement to Stateline. Hughes said state and local governments “often remain an impediment to their own community’s resilience.” He called on states to take on a more extensive role.