Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) Teams will Visit Residents Impacted by the August 16-19 Flooding Wednesday, September 3 through Sunday, September 7

August 28, 2025

Residents should also be aware of fraud and scams and are encouraged to watch for and report any suspicious Activity

CHICAGO: City of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle issued respective disaster proclamations to assist residents in recovering from flooding that took place August 16-19. By signing these proclamations, the City of Chicago and Cook County can pursue all available resources to assist communities and residents in their recovery efforts.

Beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 3 through Sunday, Sept. 7 preliminary damage assessment (PDA) teams will go door-to-door in the impacted areas in the City of Chicago and Cook County. If any resident or business sustained damage from the August 16-19 storms and flooding, a quick in-person review of the level of damage is key to having the state of Illinois request federal disaster recovery assistance for those impacted

The PDA teams will include representatives from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and local emergency management personnel. The teams are surveying details of damage to homes and possessions, which could include HVAC and water heaters, so that IEMA can pursue all potential avenues of assistance.

While meeting with the PDA teams is important, IEMA-OHS caution residents to be wary of scam artists who may prey upon storm survivors.

Facts about joint PDAs:

Team members will include FEMA, SBA, IEMA-OHS, and local emergency management staff from Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications
Joint PDA staff will have photo identification
Teams do not enter your home
PDA teams do not use contractors or ask for payment for anything

https://ready.illinois.gov/after/beware-of-scams.html

https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/Consumer-Protection/Home-Repair/

Bi-lingual staff will be available
There will be multiple teams working across the city and county
Data collection is for the city and county to qualify for assistance, so don’t worry if you don’t get a visit
Contact your homeowners or rental insurance to learn if you are covered, and if so, by how much
If you haven’t already reported ‘Water in Basement’ to 3-1-1, do so now.

Recovery teams have been approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and they will be asking if any homeowner, renter, or business owner with damage take part in the joint PDAs if available. If you have already filled out the online survey plus reported ‘Water in Basement’ to 3-1-1, we already have your address to be able to visit.

Joint PDAs will help all of us find out if there was enough damage to qualify for a state disaster proclamation as well as FEMA or U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) assistance. While you might think an SBA loan isn’t for you, those low-interest and long-term loans can help homeowners and renters with disaster recovery costs.

The City of Chicago and Cook County continue to collaborate with various non-profit organizations and agencies to ensure resident needs are being met in the aftermath of the flood. Additionally, OEMC, EMRS and IEMA will continue to coordinate recovery efforts across impacted communities and will pursue all available disaster assistance.