Governor Kim Reynolds says the state is nearly ready to submit applications for federal disaster assistance for some areas of the state that were hit by storms in June.
Iowa has already qualified for federal help to repair and rebuild some public infrastructure, like roads and bridges, that were hit by flash flooding in central and northwest Iowa.
“So I think we’re really close on individual assistance and that will really have a big impact on a lot of Iowans and so we’re going to check on where we’re at today,” Reynolds says.
Flooding and severe weather hit several areas of the state in June, including the floods that caused damage in north central Iowa in early June, in Polk County at the end of June and in northwest Iowa in mid-June. To get federal grants and low interest loans for individuals who suffered losses to homes and business, the state must show damage reached significant levels.
“They’re taking a look at everything we need to do to make sure we qualify to get the additional resources into the state of Iowa,” Reynolds says.
Damage assessments are still being collected for this month’s tornado damage in Marshalltown, Pella and Bondurant. Reynolds says she spoke Sunday with a Marshall County Supervisor about how county government is adapting to damage to the county courthouse. Some county offices have been moved to a building across the street. The DOT has loaned the county a trailer so the Marshall County Treasurer’s office can still issue drivers licenses. Court cases have been moved to the Story County Courthouse in Nevada.
“They also have a lot of documents in the basement,” Reynolds says. “A lot of them are judicial documents that date back to the 1880s and so there’s a matter of removing that and storing those and then starting the clean-up.”