The Federal Emergency Management Agency may reconsider it’s initial denial of individual assistance for Iowans in 14 counties affected by the August flooding and severe storms. Bret Voorhees of the Iowa Department of Emergency Management says FEMA has requested additional information, so there’s still an opportunity for a Presidential declaration for individual assistance.
"We think there were over five-thousand homes affected," Voorhees says. FEMA officials have not indicated when they will make a decision."There isn’t a hard deadline, which is kind of a good thing," Voorhees says. "But we know how important this is to Iowans, so we’ll be getting that data to (FEMA) as quickly as possible."
The Presidential declaration for individual assistance would allow residents and businesses in the 14 counties to apply for federal financial help. FEMA did approve public assistance, which helps government agencies and certain non-profits repair things like roads and bridges damaged in the flooding.
Governor Chet Culver requested the Presidential Disaster Declarations for the following counties: Allamakee, Appanoose, Boone, Calhoun, Cherokee, Davis, Humboldt, Mahaska, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Van Buren, Wapello, Wayne, and Webster.