Governor Pat Quinn asked President Barack Obama to declare 15 Illinois counties major disaster areas to help people and businesses recover from a violent outbreak of tornadoes across the state on November 17^th and this includes Washington County, as well some southern most counties.  Governor Quinn made the request after five teams comprising personnel from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency IEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration SBA and local officials assessed damage in the 15 counties hit by the tornadoes and severe storms.  The teams identified 2,441 homes that were damaged, including 781 homes that were destroyed.  The teams completed their assessments in less than four days.  If Governor Quinn’s request is approved, people in the approved counties would be eligible to apply for grants and low-interest SBA loans.  In addition, affected businesses would be able to apply for low-interest SBA loans.  Representatives from IEMA and FEMA will meet with local government officials beginning in early December to document expenses related to the tornadoes and storms, including emergency protective measures, debris removal and repair or replacement of roads, bridges and other public facilities. That information could be used to support a request for federal assistance to help state and local governments recoup a portion of eligible tornado-related expenses.  Trucks and heavy equipment from the Illinois Department of Transportation and inmate crews from the Illinois Department of Corrections continue to assist with removal of massive amounts of debris in communities.  IEMA personnel were deployed to impacted communities, where they continue to coordinate with local officials on a variety of disaster-related issues.  For more information about disaster recovery resources, including shelters and ways to help tornado survivors, visit Ready.Illinois.gov.