Gov. Kim Reynolds received notification on Saturday that President Trump has granted her request for an expedited Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for 56 counties that have been severely impacted by recent flooding along the Missouri River and other parts of the state. The declaration makes assistance available to homeowners, renters, businesses, public entities, and select nonprofit organizations.
“The announcement from President Trump approving our emergency declaration will be instrumental to Iowa’s recovery. We are incredibly grateful for the President’s consistent and timely action in the face of disaster. The road to recovery will be long, but it’s clear that Iowans will have the resources we need to rebuild,” said Gov. Reynolds.
Federal Individual Assistance is available for five counties
The declaration by the President makes available the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Individual Assistance Program for five counties, which provides aid to eligible homeowners, renters, and businesses. Residents in Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, and Woodbury counties are eligible to apply for this program, regardless of income.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621- 3362 or 1-800-462-7585 TTY. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time), seven days a week, until further notice.
Federal Public Assistance is available for 56 counties
The declaration also makes available FEMA?s Public Assistance Program, which puts into motion long-term federal recovery programs to help public entities and select nonprofit organizations. The 56 counties eligible to apply for Public Assistance funding under this declaration are: Adair, Allamakee, Audubon, Boone, Bremer, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dallas, Decatur, Dickinson, Emmet, Fayette, Franklin, Fremont, Greene, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Harrison, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Jasper, Kossuth, Lyon, Madison, Mahaska, Marshall, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, O?Brien, Osceola, Page, Plymouth, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Sac, Shelby, Sioux, Tama, Union, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Woodbury, and Wright.
Hazard Mitigation Funding is available statewide
The governor also received notification that the Presidential Disaster Declaration includes funding to conduct hazard mitigation activities for the entire state. With this funding, Iowa will be able to minimize the impact of future disasters by taking steps to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards.
Other counties may be added to the declaration as additional damage is reported to State officials.
Applying for flood assistance
The governor?s office released the below information to help Iowans impacted by the recent flood. Applying for assistance to recover from the recent flooding in Iowa is easy and can be done via phone or online.
Call
Call 1-800-621-3362. You can call between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., seven days a week. People who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and use a TTY, can call 800-462-7585.
Go Online
Go online to disasterassistance.gov. You can apply online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
When you apply by phone or online, you’ll be walked through the kinds of assistance that are available and what you need to do to apply. You’ll also be assigned a case manager to help you navigate the process.
As of today, residents in Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, and Woodbury counties have been included in a Presidential Disaster Declaration, making their citizens eligible to apply for this assistance. However, if you’ve been impacted by the recent flooding and you don’t live in one of those counties, register anyway. By doing this, you could help the citizens in your county become eligible for assistance.
Who can apply? Anyone impacted by the flooding that started in Iowa on March 13.
- Homeowners
- Renters
- Businesses
- Farmers
For information on Iowa’s flood recovery, visit www.floods2019.iowa.gov or call 211.
