The state of Illinois is asking the federal government to help residents in three counties who are recovering from flooding during February.
Gov. Bruce Rauner's office says Thursday that if his request to help people in Iroquois, Kankakee and Vermilion counties is approved then grants and low-interest small business loans would be made available.
The flooding impacted nearly 1,100 residences, with about 160 suffering major damage. One home was destroyed. Rauner says the February flooding left many residents of Watseka, about 80 miles south of downtown Chicago, dealing with the third significant flooding event in three years.
Teams from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration reviewed damage in the three counties last month.
