FEMA Commits $400 Million in Iowa Flood Aid

Copyright 2008 States News Service States News Service August 21, 2008 Thursday LENGTH: 655 words HEADLINE: GOVERNOR CULVER, FEMA ANNOUNCE $400 MILLION IN DISASTER FUNDS COMMITTED BYLINE: States News Service DATELINE: DES MOINES, Iowa The following information was released by FEMA: Federal disaster assistance to help Iowa recover from the flooding, severe storms and tornadoes that afflicted the state from May 25 through Aug. 13, passed the $400 million mark, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Rebuild Iowa Office announced Thursday. "Since the first day of this disaster, we have been hard at work ensuring that Iowans have access to the resources they need to return their lives to normal," said Gov. Culver. "These dollars have helped thousands of Iowans pick up the pieces after this year's flooding and severe weather. And we look forward to continuing our work with our federal partners. Together, I know that we can help those affected recover, and rebuild our state stronger and better than ever before." Federal Coordinating Officer Bill Vogel of FEMA said, "This disaster assistance benchmark emphasizes the enormity of this event in the lives of all Iowans. We are committed to continue working with the State of Iowa and all federal, volunteer and private sector partners to speed the recovery effort." The following is a summary of state and federal disaster recovery information through close of business August 20. 36,911 individuals and households have registered with FEMA for disaster assistance. FEMA has approved $109.6 million in housing assistance grants for rental or temporary lodging and housing repair. The agency has approved $14.2 million in other needs assistance for personal property loss, medical costs and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance. 33,932 home inspections have been completed. Iowans have made 33,491 visits to FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) seeking recovery information. FEMA has obligated more than $79 million in public assistance grants in response to requests from eligible entities (including counties, municipalities and private, non-profit organizations that provide essential public services). The grants pay for restoring and rebuilding disaster-damaged infrastructure and facilities and for other disaster costs. For example, the agency recently obligated $3.3 million to compensate the Iowa Homeland Security Emergency Management Division for its cost to administer and manage federal disaster funds. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved more than $199 million in disaster loans to Iowa residents and businesses. The SBA provides low-interest loans to homeowners, renters, non-profit organizations and businesses of all sizes that have losses caused by the severe weather events that occurred May 25-August 13. The state has received 2,311 applications for disaster unemployment assistance and disbursed more than $394,000. FEMA funds the disaster unemployment assistance program that provides help to individuals, such as those who are self-employed, who lost income because of the disaster, but who are ineligible for unemployment benefits under the state's regular unemployment program. Iowans in 74 of the state's 99 counties are eligible to register with FEMA for federal assistance with costs from the May 25 through Aug.13 disaster. The deadline for registration is September 29. The only way people can find out whether they qualify for aid is to register either by calling FEMA's toll free registration number or by going online to <a href="http://www.fema.gov">www.fema.gov</a>. The phone number for registration is 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or, for those who have speech or hearing impairments, TTY 1-800-462-7585. The phone lines are open seven days a week from 6 a.m.-11 p.m. local time. Eligible entities in 84 counties may qualify for public assistance by submitting a request to FEMA. FEMA pays not less than 75 percent of the cost of approved projects. FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror. LOAD-DATE: August 22, 2008 <div> <div class="x_nshr"> <center></center> <center><a href="http://www.lexis-nexis.com/lncc/about/copyrt.html" target="_new" class="x_pagelinks">Copyright © 2008 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </a> <a href="http://www.lexis-nexis.com/terms/general" target="_new" class="x_pagelinks">Terms and Conditions</a> <a href="http://www.lexis-nexis.com/terms/privacy" target="_new" class="x_pagelinks"> Privacy Policy</a> </center> </div> </div>