Governor Bruce Rauner has issued a state disaster proclamation for 23 counties devastated by a series of severe storms in June and July.
The governor is also asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist with damage assessments.
These areas - which include Alexander, Randolph, Richland and Coles counties - saw heavy rainfall, flash and river flooding, tornadoes and straight-line winds.
Alexander County Emergency Management Agency director Mike Turner says they have had storm clean-up expenses, as well as issues with flooding.
"As far as running pumps, renting pumps in some cases, overtime hours, things like that related to the expenses the county has had, the expenses the municipalities and drainage and levee districts have had to come up with."
So, any added expenses not in the normal, everyday operation of the county puts a huge strain, especially in the highway department, which responds and has to take care of all this. - Alexander County Emergency Management Agency director Mike Turner
Turner says his county is still reeling from the flood of 2011.
"We're really in bad financial shape on the county level now from that. So, any added expenses not in the normal, everyday operation of the county puts a huge strain, especially in the highway department, which responds and has to take care of all this."
The 2011 flood forced dozens of people from their homes and eventually forced the Army Corps of Engineers to blow a hole in the Birds Point Levee in southeast Missouri to reduce the flooding threat to Cairo.
