Federal officials say more than seven-million dollars in disaster aid has been approved for Iowa homeowners and businesses after severe storms hit two months ago. Charlie Henderson, spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, says the floods, tornadoes and strong winds that struck in storms May 5th through 7th caused a huge mess, which federal money is helping to clean up.
Henderson says: "We’ve had 1,613 people register for assistance. That’s very good. We continue to get registrations." The deadline to register is July 24th. He says people in 15 counties, primarily in southwest Iowa, were eligible for the assistance. He says Harrison County was the worst hit with more than 90 homes damaged.
Henderson says some $680,000 is approved for housing alone in that single county, and another $134,000 for other needs. The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than two-point-six million dollars in low-interest disaster loans to residents and businesses across the region from this disaster — the third declared presidential disaster this year in Iowa.
Henderson says, "Housing approved dollars are about two-million 65,000, roughly, and other needs assistance moneys, which is a cost-share between the state and FEMA, that’s almost at 200,000." He says the numbers will continue to rise, but likely not much farther.
Henderson says he anticipates people will continue to apply for assistance right up to the deadline though he says the majority of those who suffered damages during the storms of early May have already done so. To register or for more information, call FEMA at 800-621-FEMA (3362).
The 15 counties covered are: Audubon, Cass, Crawford, Dallas, Fremont, Harrison, Ida, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Shelby, Taylor and Union.