DES MOINES–Gov. Kim Reynolds today (Wednesday) received word that additional damage caused by the severe weather and flooding that began March 12, 2019, will be eligible for federal disaster assistance.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted Iowa’s request to reopen and extend the incident period for the Presidential Disaster Declaration that was granted for Iowa by President Trump on March 23. The incident period, which defines the period of time during which damage occurred is eligible for federal assistance, had previously been March 12-May 16. That incident period has now been extended to June 15.
Reynolds said “With this extension of the disaster’s incident period, assistance will be available for more Iowans and communities to help them recover from this spring’s destructive flooding and storms. The damage didn’t stop on May 16, and neither has the need for our citizens and towns that need so much help to rebuild and recover.”
Iowa requested the incident period be reopened and extended as the result of heavy rains that began May 17 that caused additional major flooding along the Missouri River, where the failed federal levee system afforded no level of flood protection, and also the Mississippi River. Iowa’s incident had been closed May 16 when projections from the National Weather Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pointed to slowly receding flood levels throughout the watersheds of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. However, additional heavy rains caused river levels to increase and flooding to progressively worsen.
Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD) Director Joyce Flinn said “FEMA doesn’t often reopen and extend an incident period for a Presidential Disaster Declaration. This speaks to the magnitude of this disaster and the enormous need that exists for continued assistance. I thank our FEMA partners for working with us on this extension.”
HSEMD will continue to work with impacted counties and FEMA to identify damage to infrastructure and determine eligibility for funding under the Public Assistance Program, and if the amount of damage to homes and businesses warrants assistance under the Individual Assistance Program.
Currently, 71 counties are eligible to apply for funding through the Public Assistance Program. The counties include (locally): Adair, Adams, Audubon, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Dallas, Fremont, Greene, Guthrie, Harrison, Madison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Sac, Shelby, and Union.
Residents and businesses in nine counties are currently eligible to apply for federal Individual Assistance: Fremont, Harrison, Louisa, Mills, Monona, Pottawattamie, Scott, Shelby, and Woodbury. For more information visit www.floods2019.iowa.gov.
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