SZALINSKI’S SUMMARY: Gov. JB Pritzker’s presidential disaster request that was denied by the Federal Emergency Management Agency met the threshold for statewide disaster assistance, according to state documents.
However, some counties, including Cook, did not meet FEMA’s standards by themselves, though federal rules allow states to add smaller damage totals from other counties to disaster requests.
NO EXPLANATION: A spokesperson for FEMA did not explain why Illinois’ request was denied and did not say if the agency conducted additional in-person damage assessments: