A state emergency management official says it appears the massive wind storm that swept through Story, Marshall, Tama and Benton counties earlier this month, may’ve done enough damage to justify a request for a federal disaster declaration. “The numbers we’re hearing thus far support that we will request a declaration, preliminary numbers indicate that we will request a declaration,” Joyce Flinn said.
Flinn, the chief of the State Emergency Management Division’s Readiness Bureau, says they need to finish collecting damage information before they can make a request. Flinn says there was a lot of damage to utilities and the federal request will be based on the cost of utility repairs.
Flinn says a federal disaster declaration would allow those counties to receive some federal money for the damage to infrastructure. That would include the cost utility companies paid in putting back up the downed poles and power lines.
Flinn says they have to be an eligible applicant with eligible activities and then they would be able to get reimbursement for part of their costs if the counties did receive the federal disaster declaration. The storm on July 10th knocked out power to thousands of residents in those counties and some were without power for over a week.