Kankakee County Board extends disaster declaration for 30 days after March 10 tornado

The Kankakee County Board on March 24 voted to extend the county's disaster emergency declaration for 30 days after a March 10 EF3 tornado that caused one fatality and millions of dollars in property damage.

The motion to extend the proclamation was made by Mr. Hess and seconded by Mr. Searoy; the extension passed on a roll-call vote and the chair announced, "Motion carries." The proclamation cites state law (20 ILCS 3305/11) and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act and directs the county's Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and all county departments to coordinate response and recovery efforts.

Why it matters: the extension allows county officials and EMA to continue coordinating emergency services, deploy resources and compile formal damage estimates that federal authorities will use to decide whether federal public assistance is available. Officials said meeting the statewide uninsured-loss threshold (reported during the meeting as $24 million) would be necessary for certain federal aid; local uninsured-loss figures and county-level thresholds are considerably lower.

County and federal assessments: County staff said the county completed an initial assessment and reported findings to the state, which has requested FEMA assistance. Chad, a county EMA staff member, told the board FEMA teams will arrive next week to conduct more detailed, door-to-door assessments and to help calculate totals for threshold review. Local officials said about eight county assessment teams are already working to catalog damage.

Thresholds and uncertainty: Board members and staff cautioned that the statewide uninsured-loss threshold cited at the meeting ($24 million) is high and may be difficult to reach because some neighboring counties (including Cook County) were not affected. The county's local threshold was discussed as roughly $500,000, which officials said they expect to meet; whether the state or federal thresholds will be met remains uncertain until FEMA completes its field assessments.

Consumer protection and outreach: Board members warned residents about unregistered contractors and potential scams in the storm's aftermath and urged people to check the county and city contractor lists before hiring work. Officials said legitimate assessment teams and contractors will display identification (vests and county, state or federal IDs) and that each assessment team should include county, state and federal representatives. The county's damage self-report website remains active, and staff said the county is using social media, radio and local outreach to encourage residents to report damage.

Local impacts and staffing: Several board members, including Mr. Hunter, described community meetings and the strain on public-safety staff working extended shifts. Board members thanked volunteers and partner agencies for response efforts and said they will continue to track needs and report back to the board as assessment numbers come in.

Next steps: The EMA and county departments will continue damage assessments and reporting to the state; FEMA's door-to-door visits are expected to begin the following week. The board will reassess the extension after 30 days and may vote to extend again depending on assessment results and recovery needs.