In order to verify damage from the storms and flooding that struck Aug. 16-19, preliminary damage assessment, or PDA, teams will be going door-to-door in affected McHenry County areas on Wednesday, Sept. 3.

These teams will include representatives from the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the US Small Business Administration.

These teams will survey damage to homes, businesses and possessions, so that IEMA can pursue all potential avenues of assistance, McHenry County Emergency Management Agency Director David Christensen said.

”Emergency responders will be putting boots on the ground to ensure that McHenry County and local municipalities can qualify for any potential federal aid to individuals or businesses,” Christensen said. “A visit from a PDA team is not a substitute for reporting damage to your insurance carrier – if your property sustained damage, you need to file a claim.”

Members of these PDA teams will carry photo identification, and will not enter your home – they also will have bilingual staff on hand. Don’t worry if you don’t get a visit if your property was damaged – the data collection is for local municipalities to qualify for assistance.

Officials are also warning property owners to be wary of scam artists who prey on storm survivors.

“These PDA teams will be carrying photo ID to verify their legitimacy – and more importantly, these teams do not use contractors or ask for payment,” County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, R-Crystal Lake, said. “Legitimate assessment teams from FEMA, IEMA and the Small Business Administration will never charge for assessments or disaster assistance.”

To learn more about potential disaster scams, visit https://ready.illinois.gov/after/beware-of-scams.html and https://www.fema.gov/about/offices/security/disaster-fraud.