Will County residents impacted by the July storms that incited severe weather, flooding and a flurry of tornadoes, including one that passed through south Naperville, are now eligible for federal assistance.

President Joe Biden approved a disaster declaration for Illinois authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to offer individual assistance to areas most affected by the storms that swept the state and other parts of the Midwest from July 13 to 16, according to a FEMA news release.

With the declaration, federal funding has been made available to affected individuals in Will as well as Cook, Fulton, Henry, St. Clair, Washington and Winnebago counties.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the storms, per FEMA’s release.

According to the National Weather Service, mid-July’s severe weather caused a bout of thunderstorms and ultimately what’s known as a derecho — a well-organized and long-lived complex of thunderstorms — to roll across Iowa, Illinois and parts of Indiana.

With the storms came damaging winds of 60 to 100 miles per hour as well as numerous tornadoes — including several in Will County. On July 15 alone, the weather service confirmed the severe weather event produced 48 tornadoes across Illinois.

“The July storms caused significant damage throughout Will County,” Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant said in a news release.

In Will County, the weather service plotted damage paths from Minooka to Joliet, Channahon to Matteson and Yorkville to south Naperville, among others.

The tornado that went through Naperville carved a damage path of just over 19 miles. With peak winds reaching about 100 mph, the event was classified as an EF1 tornado.

“Anyone who experienced property damage from this weather event should consider applying for assistance,” Will County Emergency Agency Director Allison Anderson said in the county executive office’s release. “This was a severe weather event, with seven tornadoes recorded in Will County.”

Anderson said she is looking forward to “coordinating with FEMA and other federal agencies on recovery in our communities.”

Residents and business owners can apply for assistance at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362 or by using the FEMA App.

Will County also will be coordinating with FEMA to open three Disaster Recovery Centers to provide on-site technical assistance with disaster applications.

tkenny@chicagotribune.com