Illinois Disaster Resources

Overview

<-- Back to Illinois Disaster Education and Preparedness

  • COVID-19 Resources
  • Federal Funding Streams and Post-Disaster Community Best Practices
  • Online Extension Presentations on Disaster Education and Preparedness
  • Agencies and Organizations
  • Severe Weather and Weather Conditions
  • Educator Resources
COVID-19 Resources

COVID-19 Response from University of Illinois Extension

Governor Pritzker issued a disaster proclamation regarding COVID-19. This allows access to additional federal resources and helps Illinois prepare, but is not intended to cause alarm.

Misinformation, much like a virus, can spread quickly.  Make sure you're equipped with the best possible information moving forward. Take what steps you can, look to the experts for guidance, and resource those who need it. 

Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is working to secure access to helpful resources for small businesses throughout the State of Illinois. As you may have read from SBA’s previous announcement (https://www.sba.gov/page/guidance-businesses-employers-plan-respond-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19), the U.S. Small Business Administration will work directly with state Governors to provide targeted, low-interest loans to small businesses and non-profits that have been severely impacted by COVID-19.

As part of this process, DCEO needs to collect information from small businesses that are negatively impacted. This information will assist them in requesting an economic injury disaster declaration from the SBA.

The State of Illinois is asking that impacted businesses please take a moment to complete this form: https://form.jotform.com/200717156003039. Accurate responses to the survey will assist in evaluating a request for an economic injury disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Federal Funding Streams and Post-Disaster Community Best Practices

When disaster strikes a community local residents and leaders may not know all of the resources that are available to help them as they navigate the post-disaster recovery process. To address this issue, Illinois Extension staff received a USDA Special Needs Grant to develop a publication to support communities and individuals after a disaster strikes. The publication has two primary sections. The first section provides a series of federal funding matrices detailing the different response and recovery funds that are available to communities and individuals.  The second section includes community case studies with two Illinois and two Nebraska communities that successfully navigated the post-disaster recovery process. These case studies detail best practices as well as potential pit falls that a community may encounter post-disaster.

Federal Funding Streams & Post-Disaster Community Best Practices - VIEW FULL REPORT

 

About USDA Special Needs Projects - The Smith-Lever Special Needs Competitive Grant Program supports innovative, education-based approaches to addressing emergency preparedness and specific responses related to natural and human-made disasters. Funded grant projects help Cooperative Extension to support quality of life in communities across the United States by addressing disaster preparedness, response, and recovery in the context of food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences. USDA NIFA funds Special Needs projects  provides information and tools to stakeholders, collaborators and USDA to improve decision making in handling natural and human-made disasters.

Authors:

Zach Kennedy, University of Illinois Extension

Carrie McKillip, University of Illinois Extension

Ashley Mueller, University of Nebraska Extension

Susan Odum, University of Illinois Extension

Rebecca Carolina, University of Illinois, Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Gabriel Guevara, University of Illinois, Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Rojan Joseph, University of Illinois, Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Online Extension Presentations on Disaster Education and Preparedness

Disaster Preparedness on One Hand: 5 Things Every Elected Official should know about Disaster Preparedness
Carrie McKillip, 2020

Preparing for Extreme Weather – March 2020 - State Climatologist, Trent Ford, discusses the science and impacts of climate change as they relate to water in Illinois. Illinois State Water Survey engineer and hydrologist Sally McConkey explains where to find floodplain information, how to interpret a floodplain map, and more.

Supporting Communities before and after Disasters: Illinois Public Works Mutual Aid Network and Extension Disaster Education Network 

Educator Resources
  1. Children, Stress, and Natural Disasters from the University of Illinois Extension is a set of resources for teachers and other child-care or youth workers that helps prepare them for working with children who have been through a disaster. It includes A Resource Guide for Teachers that describes what teachers can do to help during the recovery period, a set of Classroom Activities for Teachers that can be used following a disaster, and a Disaster Bibliography of children's books on floods and natural disasters compiled by Lynn Blinn Pike at the University of Missouri.
  2. The Natural Disaster Program for Families 
  3. Additional Disaster Information 
  4. The Natural Hazards Center 
  5. The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder