North Shore homeowners with storm damage may see federal and county inspection teams at their doors through Thursday, Sept. 3.

Teams from four federal, state and county agencies began visiting homes and businesses on Monday, Aug. 31. The agencies are the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Illinois Emergency Management Agency–Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security (EMRS), according to Cook County.

The inspections focus on damage from the Aug. 11–12 severe storms. The National Weather Service confirmed five tornadoes from the Aug. 11 system and straight-line winds nearing 100 mph in southern Cook County, the Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle reported.

The storms caused power outages, downed trees and power lines, debris, localized flooding and structural damage across multiple Cook County municipalities. ComEd reported 3,862 outages affecting 188,175 customers the evening of Aug. 11.

Assessment teams will only inspect exteriors. They will not enter homes or businesses. Team members carry official identification, and there is no charge.

The data collected will help state and federal officials decide whether Cook County qualifies for additional federal disaster assistance.

"Our communities have been working hard to recover from the damage caused by these storms, and we want to make sure we have a complete understanding of the impact," Alex Joves, executive director of EMRS, said in a county statement on Aug. 30.

After severe storms hit Cook County in July and August 2025, the Trump administration denied all requests and appeals for federal disaster assistance. Cook County responded by approving a $15 million one-time assistance program for affected residents. EMRS also worked with state and city emergency agencies to secure an SBA disaster declaration, giving residents access to low-interest repair loans.

Gov. JB Pritzker issued a state disaster proclamation on Aug. 18 covering 15 Illinois counties including Cook, directing resources toward debris removal and public infrastructure repairs. Communities can apply for disaster response funding through the state's Community Development Block Grant program within six months of that proclamation, Shaw Local reported.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle issued a county disaster proclamation on Aug. 14, the Chronicle reported.

Whether the door-to-door assessments lead to a federal disaster declaration remains to be seen. Cook County has not announced when assessment results will be submitted to federal officials or when a decision might follow.

The county's earlier online damage survey for the Aug. 11–12 storms closed Aug. 24. The in-person assessments running through Thursday, Sept. 3, represent the next step in documenting the scope of damage countywide.