Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has declared an emergency over “relentless and unprecedented” storms that have spawned more than 200 tornadoes and ravaged the state over the last two months.The declaration would free up more state funds and resources for those recovering from the weeks of what was de scribed by Pritzker as “severe and record-breaking weather” that brought “widespread damage from torrential downpours, flash flooding, straight-line winds and several tornadoes." It also expedites the contract and procurement process for local governments to help speed up recovery efforts.It comes days after the governor signed a bill allowing homeowners in the state to participate in disaster relief programs that aren’t typically covered under standard insurance policies, and less than two months after he made a similar declaration following rounds of severe storms in April and June."I know these storms have impacted countless Illinois families and requires we band together to help them recover,” Pritzker said in a statement.The state’s Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will all assist the listed 15 counties in recovering from the three months of storms, as part of the order.It includes the storms in Cook County on July 27 — which also impacted DuPage, Lake, Vermillion and Will counties — as well as August 9-11, which also made Champaign, DuPage, LaSalle, Tazewell and Will counties eligible for damage relief.The first wave sprung up four tornadoes while the most recent August wave brought three more to the Chicago area.Marshall County is eligible for the storms that occurred on May 16, June 10-11, as well as between June 19 and 29. Kane County could see extra resources for storms July 2-4, while Alexander and Pulaski counties will see them for July 9-11 storms.Champaign, Ford, Fulton, McLean and Vermillion are also eligible for resources due to the storms Aug. 13-16.Smaller and rural communities can qualify for the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Response program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and offers up to $250,000 for local governments impacted by the disaster, Pritzker’s office said. Residents have six months from the day of the declaration to apply for assistance. Related Thousands of Gary residents still without power after last week’s deadly storms 6 tornadoes Tuesday make record-breaking 206 total this year in Illinois Feds to open disaster loan application help centers in wake of June storms ...read more read less