The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in Hoboken, New Jersey. (Photo used under Creative Commons from Flickr user ChairWomanMay)

By Stephanie Pawlowski

BLOOMINGTON - The McLean County Emergency Management Agency is getting paperwork together in case a request is made for help on the East Coast.

EMA Director Curt Hawk says no request has been made yet, but says the department is getting everything in order in case one is made.

If a request is made, it could be possible that a team will go to an East Coast state to help for about two weeks. The state in need would reimburse Illinois for the cost.

Hawk said he's getting constant updates and says recovery is going to take a long time.

State Farm preliminary claims

The first claims have started to come into State Farm's call centers. Spokeswoman Holly Anderson said as of the end of the day Tuesday, 24,700 homeowner claims and 4,000 auto claims have been filed. But, those numbers are expected to rise.

Stephanie Pawlowski can be reached at Stephanie.Pawlowski@Cumulus.com