The chief of the state Emergency Management Division’s Readiness Bureau, Joyce Flinn, says they’ve heard concern from their counterparts at the county level that people aren’t taking advantage of the Individual Assistance Grant program for disaster victims.
The program gives grants up to $5,000 to those who meet income guidelines and live in a county that’s eligible. She says the county has to be declared a state disaster area for individual assistance. Flinn says residents of nearly one dozen counties could get the help.
Flinn says all six of the counties along the Missouri River are eligible and then Tama, Marshall, Dickinson, Benton and Dubuque counties are also eligible after the wind storms and flooding. She says it is easy to apply for the assistance.
Flinn says you can get the application on-line at the by clicking on the “Storm Help” link on the Iowa Department of Human Services Website (www.dhs.iowa.gov).
The county emergency management coordinators will validate that the address on the application is in a valid disaster area. Flinn says D.H.S. will then move forward with the application.