HENRY COUNTY, Ill. — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has issued a disaster proclamation for several counties impacted by severe weather in July, including Henry County.
Back on July 16, a derecho moved through the region and produced multiple tornadoes. The National Weather Service confirmed two EF-1 tornadoes in Kewanee. Trees and debris were thrown all over, littering yards and roadways. News 8 received reports of trees falling on houses and branches flying through windows.
The proclamation comes after the Henry County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) surveyed damage from the storms. On July 16, the Henry County OEM declared a local state of emergency for Kewanee and Wethersfield.
Since then, the Henry County OEM said it has been working closely with the impacted communities to provide resources and assistance. The governor's proclamation allows access to additional state resources and emergency personnel.
Other Illinois counties included in the proclamation include Fulton, St. Clair, Washington, Winnebago, Cook and Will. Pritzker has also requested federal disaster funding from President Biden through FEMA. If approved, the declaration would allow impacted communities to access individual assistance from FEMA and disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The state disaster proclamation goes into effect immediately to supplement the state of emergency previously declared by Henry County OEM.
