The state government’s Executive Council has approved more money to help this fall’s low-income flood victims.
The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program was set up in the aftermath of the massive 2008 floods. The grants are available to help low income Iowans pay to repair or replace items that were damaged by a natural disaster, but aren’t covered by insurance. On Monday, the governor and other statewide elected officials who serve on the state Executive Council voted to put $325,000 more dollars into the program.
A portion of that allotment, $25,000, will be used to train government employees and volunteers who are helping low-income flood victims navigate through the financial assistance that may be available. The rest will go to individuals and families in the form of grants to buy things like new water heaters and furnaces that were damaged beyond repair by the flood. The state grants may also be used to cover the cost of replacing flood-damaged food in freezers and refrigerators that were either hit by high water or didn’t keep things cold because the power was out.
The grants may be available to eligible low-income residents in the following counties: Alamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Cedar, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Hancock, Howard, Jones, Linn, Louisa, Mitchell, Muscatine, Story, Worth, Winneshiek, and Wright.