Documents show state’s disaster request met FEMA’s threshold

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker’s presidential disaster request that was denied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency met the threshold for statewide disaster assistance, according to state documents.

However, some counties, including Cook, did not meet FEMA’s standards by themselves, though federal rules allow states to add smaller damage totals from other counties to disaster requests.

A spokesperson for FEMA did not explain why Illinois’ request was denied and did not say if the agency conducted additional in-person damage assessments.

“Just like all declaration requests, FEMA follows the Stafford Act and its regulations to support the determination process on whether federal assistance is warranted to supplement state, local, tribal or territorial efforts and capabilities provided by the state of Illinois,” the agency said in a statement. “The law and regulations require FEMA to review each request closely and consider the unique circumstances of disaster-caused damages as well as state and local capacity.”

Pritzker submitted a request to FEMA last month seeking resources to help the eight counties recover from flooding, tornadoes and severe wind damage. The governor’s request covered Champaign, Cook, Ford, Fulton, McLean, Tazewell, Vermilion and Will counties. He’s appealing FEMA’s denial.

Read the state’s request here.

The state itself spent $2.2 million on “personnel, expertise and equipment,” $100,000 to activate the State Emergency Operations Center, and $1.5 million in community development block grant funds for disaster response.

There were 4,519 residential structures damaged throughout the state, including 46 that were completely destroyed. Most of the destroyed homes were in Cook County, which also accounted for half of the state’s damaged homes. All the damage to homes added up to $19.5 million.

Many residents also suffered flood damage that was not covered by insurance. The state’s numbers show 48% of Cook County residents suffered uninsured losses.

FEMA’s standards

According to the documents, Illinois’ total damage exceeded FEMA’s thresholds. Per capita, damage in the affected counties was $5.95, while FEMA requires $1.94 for Illinois to qualify for aid. The damage totaled $27.6 million, while FEMA’s standard for the state is $24.9 million.

FEMA conducted public assistance damage assessments virtually and the state asked FEMA to conduct in-person damage assessments to verify the numbers. Damage in Cook County was only 63% of the $18.6 million total required in the county for public assistance from FEMA, but the state argued in its application that an in-person assessment by FEMA would raise the total to that threshold.

Only half of the eight counties in the request met their local thresholds for damage: Fulton, McLean, Vermilion and Will.

“FEMA is required to consider concentrated local impacts of this kind, recognize that severe damage in specific areas can justify a declaration on its own, even where the statewide per capita indicator is not met,” the state said in its original request. “This event meets that standard and supports a (public assistance) declaration under this factor, regardless of the statewide average. Damage from this event is concentrated, not evenly spread.”

Pritzker’s request noted Indiana received federal help for the same storms:

“The same weather system carried into Northwest Indiana that same day, producing repeated rounds of heavy rain through August 16th, with NWS Indianapolis describing the resulting central Indiana flooding as catastrophic,” Pritzker’s request said. “On August 25th, 2026, FEMA approved a major disaster declaration for Indiana with both Individual Assistance and Public Assistance, FEMA-4933-DR, for severe storms, straight line, winds, tornadoes, and flooding using a single incident period of August 11, 2026, and continuing.”

A Politico analysis earlier this year found Democrat-led states saw just 23% of their disaster requests granted in his second term, compared to 89% for Republican states. Under the past six administrations — including Trump’s first term — states led by either party saw similar rates of approval, between 70% and 90%. The analysis also found the administration took twice as long to issue decisions on requests from blue states.

“Whoever serves as governor or as president of the United States, their obligation is to serve everybody, even the people that didn’t vote for them, and that’s not the way Donald Trump is operating the federal government,” Pritzker said on Thursday.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.