WASHINGTON – Chuck Grassley today said President BarackObama has added several Iowa counties to a major disaster declaration he originally made on March 2. Today’s news triggers the release of FEMA funds to additional counties to help them recover from the severe winter storms that occurred from January 19 - 26. Additional designations may be made at a later date after further evaluation.
“There has been an enormous amount of damage in Iowa caused by winter storms,” Grassley said. “It’s good to see new counties being added so Iowans can continue cleaning up the damage.”
FEMA will now provide assistance to Adams, Boone, Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dallas, Emmet, Greene, Hardin, Ida, Monona, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Story and Union counties, in additional to those named in the March 2 declaration, through the Public Assistance program. The Public Assistance program assists state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.
All Iowa counties are also eligible to apply for assistance through the Hazard Mitigation Grant program. The Hazard Mitigation Grant program assists state and local governments and certain private non-profit organizations for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards.
Grassley sent a letter to Obama asking him to grant Governor Chet Culver’s request to declare Iowa a major disaster areaas a result of the severe winter storms that occurred from January 19 - 26.
A copy of the text of Grassley’s letter and March 2, 2010 release can be found below.
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Disaster Aid to Iowa after Severe Winter Storms
WASHINGTON – Chuck Grassley today said President BarackObama declared a major disaster declaration for Iowa, triggering the release of FEMA funds to help Iowa recover from the severe winter storms that occurred on January 19 - 26. Additional designations may be made at a later date after further evaluation.
“There has been an enormous amount of damage in Iowa caused by winter storms,” Grassley said. “It’s good to see this disaster being addressed by President Obama so Iowans can continue cleaning up the damage."
FEMA will provide assistance to Adair, Audubon, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Guthrie, Harrison, Madison, Pottawattamie, Sac and Shelby counties through the Public Assistance program. The Public Assistance program assists state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency work and the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.
All Iowa counties are also eligible to apply for assistance through the Hazard Mitigation Grant program. The Hazard Mitigation Grant program assists state and local governments and certain private non-profit organizations for actions taken to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural hazards.
Grassley sent a letter to Obama asking him to grant Governor Chet Culver’s request to declare Iowa a major disaster areaas a result of the severe winter storms that occurred on January 19 - 26.
A copy of the text of Grassley’s letter can be found below or by clicking here.
January 29, 2010
The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
I respectfully ask that you grant the request made January 28, 2010 by Iowa Governor Chet Culver for a declaration of a major disaster for the State of Iowa as a result of damages from a severe winter storm that began January 19 and continued through January 26, 2010. The Governor determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments to handle effectively and federal assistance is needed.
Thank you for your prompt consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley
United States Senator