Following last week’s severe storms, Gov. Rod Blagojevich has declared parts of DuPage County a disaster area.

West Chicago was one of the hardest hit cities, with the heaviest damage occurring in the southern end of the Alta Vista neighborhood near the warehouse on Fenton Street that collapsed.

The Aug. 23 collapse sent six people to the hospital. All were later released with no serious injuries, police said. Damage estimates for the warehouse are still not available.

The collapse was likely the result of strong winds. No fires were reported.

City of West Chicago officials did not have a comprehensive estimate of the total damage caused by the storm, as each area of the city reported different damage.

As of Tuesday, there were several trees and light poles still down near Oakwood and Bellvue, said Lt. Donald Goncher of the West Chicago Police Department.

“There’s different damage in different neighborhoods, and we haven’t come up with any totals as of yet,” Goncher said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 30 residents remained without power.

DuPage and the other counties declared disaster areas will be eligible for financial assistance from the government in the next few weeks after damage totals are added up, said Patty Thompson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

“The most important concern is to get any immediate assistance that the counties need — we’re especially concerned with the flooding that remains right now,” Thompson said. “With flooding, it doesn’t go away right away — it’s longer-lasting damage than what a tornado would cause.”

Once the expenses are totaled, federal funds will be allocated, Thompson said.