Storm damage assessments underway in south suburban Cook County, potential federal aid evaluated
HOMEWOOD, Ill. (WLS) -- State, federal and local officials are conducting damage assessments across south suburban Cook County following the Aug. 11 storms, a key step in determining whether residents could eventually qualify for federal disaster assistance.
Teams from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and other agencies have been going door-to-door in affected neighborhoods as part of a joint preliminary damage assessment.
"We're visiting impacted neighborhoods, looking to validate the damage that has been reported," said Kim Keblish, a FEMA public affairs specialist.
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Officials are documenting not only where damage occurred but also its severity.
"We want to know if they had flood damage, how much flood water entered their home. Was it inches? Was it feet? Did it impact essential living spaces? If they had high wind impacts, did that structurally impact their home, or just the faade of the home?" Keblish said.
Among those impacted are Michael and Sharon Luckett of Homewood, who have lived on their street for nearly 30 years. The retired couple said they are facing thousands of dollars in storm-related damage.
"We were without power for five days. We've thrown away groceries. The siding is horrible on the side of my house. It's torn up. It's torn off. We've got our backyard in disarray. We've got water into our house," Sharon Luckett said.
Officials said accounts from homeowners help the Illinois Emergency Management Agency evaluate the extent of the damage and determine whether state leaders should seek federal assistance.
"FEMA looks at populations, they look at cost of living expenses, they look at unemployment issues, they look at, you know, a lot of things that take place on the domestic side," said Greg Nimmo, recovery division chief for IEMA and the Office of Homeland Security.
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More than three weeks after the storm, some residents questioned the timing of the assessments.
"It's not that no one came. It's just when they came afterward. And I'm paying taxes, so my mind was like, what am I paying taxes for, if no one's going to come and do anything," Michael Luckett said.
Keblish said FEMA's involvement began after a request from the state.
"The state of Illinois requested FEMA to come out and do these damage assessments last week, so that's why we're here this week," she said.
Officials also acknowledged challenges in securing federal disaster assistance. Kaila Lariviere of Cook County Emergency Management and Regional Security said previous requests following major flooding in 2025 were unsuccessful.
"I will say we are seeing trends that are unfavorable to us at Cook County. We got denied for both our regular process and an appeals process for the massive floods we experienced last July and August of 2025. Things are trending that way, but we're never going to stop doing our process," Lariviere said.
Once the assessments are completed, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency will submit its findings to the governor's office. State leaders will then decide whether to request federal assistance, with any final disaster declaration subject to presidential approval.
