Illinois officials say more than 2,000 people in counties declared federal disaster areas after tornadoes struck in November applied for federal assistance.
Gov. Pat Quinn visited the central Illinois community of Washington on Tuesday.
His office says more than $1.6 million in federal grants and more than $5.6 million in low-interest loans have been approved.
Washington was hit hard by one of the roughly two dozen tornadoes that struck on Nov. 17. Seven people died and thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Also Tuesday, Quinn signed legislation allowing the state to match federal money used to help people replace personal property damaged or lost in flooding last spring. The state's share is $5.9 million.
The bill passed the House and Senate unanimously.
