DES MOINES, IOWA (June 10, 2019) — Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation today for three counties in response to severe weather beginning May 17 and continuing.
The governor's proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather and activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program, for Mills, Muscatine, and Washington counties.
The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level or a maximum annual income of $41,560 for a family of three. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses. Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for actual expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Human Services website. Potential applicants have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to submit a claim. This proclamation makes only damage sustained beginning May 17 eligible for the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program. Mills County residents who sustained damage for flooding between March 12 and May 16 are eligible to apply for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Individual Assistance Program.
Disaster Case Management is a program to address serious needs to overcome a disaster-related hardship, injury, or adverse condition. Disaster case-managers work with clients to create a disaster-recovery plan and provide guidance, advice, and referral to obtain a service or resource. There are no income-eligibility requirements for this program; it closes 180 days from the date of the governor's proclamation. For information on the Disaster Case Management Program, contact your local community action association or visit www.iowacommunityaction.org.
Also today, Gov Reynolds issued a proclamation extending existing proclamations of disaster emergency for March flooding for an additional 30 days to July 10, 2019. This extension allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of the severe weather that began in March.
This proclamation extends the governor’s temporary suspension of regulatory provisions pertaining to hours of service for disaster-repair crews and drivers delivering goods and services while responding to disaster sites during the duration of this disaster, along with weight limits related to disaster repairs. The proclamation waives fees for issuance of replacement motor-vehicle registrations-cards, plates, and driver-licenses, additional fees for car and travel-trailer lots, and waives some types of recycler licenses.
This proclamation also suspends length-of-stay and fee requirements at Waubonsie State Park located in Fremont County. For more information, visit the DNR Disaster Assistance website or the Waubonsie State Park website.
Iowa residents of counties impacted by the recent severe weather are asked to report damage to help local and state officials better understand the damage sustained. Damage to property, roads, utilities, and other storm-related information may be reported. This information will be collected by the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and shared with local emergency management agencies.
For more information on Iowa’s flooding and disaster assistance, visit floods2019.iowa.gov.
