Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker tours south suburban storm damage after signing flood assistance bill
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker toured storm damage in Chicago's south suburbs Friday after he signed a bill authorizing local home equity assurance programs to help homeowners who suffered flood damage.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a bill Friday authorizing local home equity assurance programs to provide financial relief to homeowners who have suffered flood damage.
Pritzker's office said the law gives homeowners another tool to get help with recovery and rebuilding, especially after the Trump administration has denied requests for federal assistance to help flood victims get financial relief in Illinois.
"That allows for necessary repairs in the short run for homes and little more breathing room for families," Pritzker said.
Under the new law, the Southwest Equity Home Assurance Program and Northwest Equity Home Assurance Program can create a three-year flood damage direct rebate program for eligible homeowners, and provide those households with a one-time rebate for up to 50% of qualifying flood-related expenses. The maximum amount for the one-time rebate is $1,000.
There are still a lot of questions about who qualifies, how people can apply and when the bill takes effect.
The governor's office said the bill goes into effect in 2027 and applies to two portions of the city of Chicago covered by the two programs, meaning it won't help most people in the Chicago area. The law was conceived in response to the storm and flooding damage Chicago residents endured in 2025, and for which the Trump administration denied requests for FEMA aid.
After signing the bill, Pritzker toured areas in the south suburbs that were hard hit by this week's storms.
A massive tree partially fell on Julie and Mark Hisekes' home, landing in their front yard in Lansing, Ill.
"It's difficult, but we're hoping the house isn't too damaged and we can move forward. Other people have it a lot worse as far as their homes," Julie said.
There are still power outages in the south suburbs, but ComEd said in Lansing they expect to restore 99% of power by midnight Saturday.
And although the governor toured Lansing Friday, those residents would not qualify for the program created by the new bill.
A website with exact qualifications and an application form is not yet live.
The Chicago area and Illinois in general have experienced extremely high levels of rainfall and severe weather so far this year, with multiple rounds of flooding. Illinois has the highest tornado count in the nation for 2026, with 199 tornadoes confirmed so far this year; the previous record was set in 2024 with 142 confirmed tornadoes. The Chicago area so far has confirmed 70 tornadoes in 2026, breaking the 2024 record of 63 confirmed tornadoes.
More rain is expected over the weekend, with some areas seeing as much as 3 inches of rain added to the already-saturated ground and high rivers and creeks.
