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The City of Chicago, Cook County, and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) have announced plans to appeal the recent denial of a Presidential Disaster Declaration request. The original request, submitted by Governor JB Pritzker, sought federal aid for severe flooding that affected multiple communities in Illinois during two periods: July 25-28 and August 16-19, 2025.
The storms caused significant property damage, prolonged power outages, and disrupted transportation and essential services. Both homes and businesses were impacted across several jurisdictions including the City of Chicago, City of Aurora, and the counties of Cook, Will, Boone, McHenry, Kane, Jersey, and Calhoun.
Joint Preliminary Damage Assessments were carried out in July and August by teams from local, county, state, and federal agencies to determine the extent of the losses.
To support their appeal for federal assistance, officials will conduct additional virtual and in-person assessments from November 4 through November 7. Residents and business owners in affected areas are encouraged to provide new or previously unreported information about damages or ongoing needs. This includes photographs of damage; documentation related to alternative housing; reports concerning illness or health impacts; mold remediation efforts; as well as information on replacement furnaces, water heaters or major appliances.
Residents can submit this data using a Residential Self-Assessment Survey available online starting Wednesday, October 29 at 8 a.m. at https://iemaohs.illinois.gov/recovery. The deadline for submissions is November 7.
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