The president has approved Governor Terry Branstad’s request to designate five Iowa counties federal disaster areas. The counties named in the presidential declaration are Dickinson, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola and Sioux for severe weather that hit April ninth through the 11th.
Those counties were hit with damaging winds, heavy rains, thunderstorms, freezing rain, ice and snow that caused damage to power lines, poles and trees. The declaration by the President will provide federal funding to the declared counties for repairing of damage to public property.
The Governor’s office says it also received notification that the Presidential Disaster Declaration includes funding to conduct hazard mitigation activities for the entire state to allow officials to work to minimize the impact of future natural disasters by taking steps now to strengthen existing infrastructure.