Disaster Assistance for Iowa Nears $300 Million
Release Date: August 5, 2008
Release Number: 1763-137
» More Information on Iowa Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Nearly $300 million in state and federal assistance has been approved for individuals, businesses and communities in Iowa recovering from disaster.
Officials from the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division (HSEMD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that amount has been approved during the 70 days since a major federal disaster was declared May 27 for tornadoes, severe storms and flooding that began May 25.
Eighty counties in Iowa are now included in the disaster declaration; 63 counties are eligible for both Individual Assistance (IA) and Public Assistance (PA) and 17 are eligible for only PA.
A total of 35,346 households have registered in the 63 counties eligible for Individual Assistance. FEMA has approved 20,033 households for $104.1 million in housing grants. The deadline for victims to register for assistance has been extended to September 29.
This assistance may be used for temporary disaster housing and for the repair of owner-occupied disaster-damaged homes, returning them to livable condition. About 32,540 homes have been inspected by FEMA since the disaster was declared.
In addition, 6,930 households have been approved for about $13.1 million under the Other Needs Assistance (ONA) programs for serious, necessary disaster-related needs and expenses not covered by insurance or other assistance programs.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved 2,352 disaster loans for homes totaling more than $126 million and 349 disaster loans for business totaling about $41.6 million. SBA officials encourage anyone who has received a loan application after registering with FEMA to submit it as soon as possible in order to be eligible for some additional assistance.
SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, private non-profit organizations and businesses of all sizes for property losses not fully covered by insurance. In addition, small businesses may receive loans to help provide working capital funds to recover from the disaster's economic effects.
To date, FEMA has received 933 requests for Public Assistance (PA) grants from local governments in the 80 counties approved for PA. Funds have been obligated for 225 projects for about $15 million.
FEMA will fund no less than 75 percent of the cost of debris removal and repair of damaged public facilities like schools, water treatment plants, utility systems, parks, bridges and roads. Under the PA program, FEMA will fund 90 percent of the cost of emergency response efforts taken to protect lives or property.
As of Aug. 5, three Disaster Recovery Centers were open to distribute information about state, federal and non-profit organization assistance programs to those affected by the disaster. Seventy-one centers have been opened in Iowa and have had more than 32,147 visits in designated counties.
Grant recipients are urged to keep receipts of their disaster spending and stay in touch with FEMA through the Helpline if their situations change. The number is 800-621-FEMA (3362) or for the hearing- or speech-impaired, TTY is 800-462-7585 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week.
FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 06-Aug-2008 10:23:59