DeKalb County Emergency Services Disaster Agency ESDA

09/04/2026

Make a household plan! Prepare before disaster strikes. Consider the specific needs for your household such as medical needs or items for your pets. Test your evacuation and shelter plans. Refresh your emergency supplies (at least every six months). Know your routes and alternatives in the event there are road closures. And always have more than one way to received alerts.

08/11/2026

Federal Low-Interest Disaster Loan Assistance Available for DeKalb County Residents and Businesses Impacted by July 2–4 Storms.
https://dekalbcounty.org/departments/emergency-services-disaster-agency/esda-sba-disaster-assistance/

07/29/2026

Another Summer Safety Tip! Bright colors make it much easier for people to see you in the water. Especially dark bottom natural waters, such as rivers, lakes, and ponds.

07/27/2026

Stay cool DeKalb County. Hydrate, have a plan, and check on each other. Utilize cooling centers and don’t leave kids and pets in the car.

07/26/2026

Beautiful weekend for the lake. We want to be sure everyone knows how to properly fit a life jacket this summer.

07/24/2026

Summer Safety Tips from ESDA! Lake Safety: Swimming in lakes, rivers, and streams. Have a great safe weekend!

07/16/2026

Stay cool away from the heat, humidity, and the haze in our area. Check on your neighbors, stay hydrated, limit outdoor activities, and think smart. Plan ahead know, check the weather and know your limits.

07/16/2026

The Illinois EPA has issued a Red Air Pollution Action Day for Thursday, July 16th for Rockford and all 6 Chicago area forecast sectors. This is in addition to the ongoing Chicago Area Air Pollution Action Day in effect today.

This Red Forecast Air Pollution Action Day is declared due to a forecast of Unhealthy particulates and/or ozone on Thursday, July 16th.

Northern IL is expected to be on the edge of a thick plume of surface smoke moving in from the north and cleaner air to the south. It is uncertain how far south the smoke may progress and the duration of poor air quality as this dividing line may travel in and out of Northern IL late Wednesday night through Friday.

Those with air quality concerns or outdoor plans are encouraged to check AirNow.gov and sign up for EnviroFlash alerts.

Further south in the rest of Illinois, surface smoke is less likely, but it is possible smoke moves further south than expected for shorter durations of time. Those outside of Red forecast areas are also encouraged to periodically check current https://AirNow.gov that would indicate surface smoke and sign up for EnviroFlash alerts through https://illinois.enviroflash.info/

07/15/2026

Wildfires in Canada can absolutely bring haze down to us in DeKalb County. Between the air quality and humid temperatures make sure you have a plan if it gets to be too much. Stay hydrated and stay cool.

Near-surface smoke from wildfires in northern Minnesota and southern Ontario may reach northern Illinois by Thursday morning. Our models have the smoke stalling near the I-90 or I-88 corridors by daybreak Thursday.

Here are tips for how to protect yourself in smoke.