Nearly 500 structures in Kankakee County were damaged by massive storms that produced tornadoes and hail swept across Illinois Tuesday night, according to Gov. JB Pritzker, who promised that state officials would seek federal aid to help those most affected.

The governor spent Thursday afternoon in the Aroma Park neighborhood alongside local officials and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to assess the devastation and discuss aid.

Strong tornadoes and large hail ripped through Illinois and Indiana Tuesday night, leveling homes in their wake and killing two people in northwest Indiana. As of Thursday afternoon, National Weather Service meteorologists reported three tornadoes had hit Livingston and Kankakee counties in Illinois and Newton, Jasper and Starke counties in Indiana.

Pritzker praised the reaction to the storm from local officials and first responders.

“Everybody stepped up. Everybody,” Pritzker said. “When I say, ‘the people,’ I really mean neighbors and friends and people who live in neighboring communities showed up for each other here.”

The first step in delivering aid is to estimate the total amount of damage, Pritzker said. He added that the effort was ongoing. So far, officials have reported that local schools, the Kankakee County jail and courthouse, and Riverside Medical Center were damaged, and that 30 or more homes were completely destroyed.

Pritzker said the government’s immediate goal was to provide housing for people who lost their homes. Then, once the damage assessment is completed, the state will know how much the community needs in repair funds.

Officials said they plan to seek federal financial assistance to support the effort, but Illinois hasn’t had much success securing Federal Emergency Management Agency funds under Republican President Donald Trump. Last month, FEMA denied Illinois’ appeal and affirmed its decision to block funds requested after floods in Cook, Will, Kane, McHenry and Boone counties displaced residents and caused power outages in the summer.

Pritzker, a Democrat who has routinely tussled with Trump on federal immigration enforcement efforts and an array of other issues, said he expects the state will receive federal funds for Tuesday’s disaster because the damage is so visible. He said that isn’t always the case for areas requesting federal funding.

But the Trump administration has punished states that didn’t vote for him in 2024, repeatedly targeting blue states with funding cuts in health care and transportation.

“Politics shouldn’t play a role in addressing emergencies and crises that exist across the country or in the state of Illinois,” the governor said.

The damage assessment must be completed before the state can request federal assistance, Pritzker said. Until then, local and state officials will provide the help they can.

The Illinois State Police and IEMA were deployed to Kankakee County Tuesday night, Pritzker said. The Illinois Department of Transportation has since been active in the area.

As of Thursday afternoon, ComEd, the largest electric utility company in Illinois, has restored power to 99% of homes that lost it, according to the governor.

Crews have been working to clear Kankakee County roads of fallen trees and power lines. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado that hit Kankakee County was rated EF3, with wind speeds between 136 and 165 mph. The most severe type of tornado is an EF5.

At the intersection of Norman Street and Strasma North Drive — where officials gathered Thursday — the devastation was clear. Roofs were blown off houses and debris was scattered across yards. Fallen trees and snapped branches lined the roads.

Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services dispatched two trucks serving meals and hygiene kits to those affected. The North Carolina-based Billy Graham Rapid Response Team announced Thursday it would deploy chaplains to provide “emotional and spiritual care” to the hardest hit areas in Kankakee and Newton counties.

Pritzker said he’s received outreach from people across the state hoping to help with aid efforts for homeowners affected by the storms.

“It is a reminder to all of us that we are one Illinois,” Pritzker said. “Especially in a crisis when we need each other, we are there for one another.”

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