.png)
KDSN RADIO News
FEMA disaster deadline approaching this week
.jpg){kind=logo}
Iowans impacted by the tornado, storms and flooding that led to three federal disaster declarations have gotten millions of dollars in FEMA funding.
FEMA Spokesman John Mills says they’ve helped some 6,000 people already. “We’ve already provided more than 59 million dollars directly to homeowners and renters. That money is helping people with home repairs, paying for a temporary place to live, and other serious needs not covered by insurance,” he says. Mills says there have been other payouts as well.
“FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program, has already paid more than six million dollars in claims for about 200 Iowa policy holders,” Mills says. “So we encourage people to stay in touch with FEMA about their needs so we can try to help them. We’ll work with every family, every household, on a case by case basis.”
Mills says they encourage anyone who hasn’t visited a FEMA disaster center to stop by. “We’re continuing to evaluate how long disaster recovery centers need to be open. FEMA still has 13 disaster recovery centers open in Iowa, and we’re evaluating how long all of them need to be open. We plan to keep centers open in the hardest hit communities for some time to come.” he says.
The time to get help from those centers for the earliest disasters is winding down this week. “There is a deadline coming up of Friday, August 23rd for people to apply with FEMA if they were affected by the disasters of April and May,” he says. “So if you have not yet applied for FEMA assistance and you have serious damage and needs, the deadline to apply is August 23rd.” This applies to residents of Adair, Adams, Cedar, Clarke, Harrison, Jasper, Mills, Montgomery, Polk, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby, Story and Union counties
Mills says it has been a rough year for Iowa. “It’s fairly unusual to have three major disaster declarations in relatively quick succession,” he says, “We’ve been running really non stop at FEMA first, my team was in Nebraska, and then Iowa, and then two more disasters after we were first deployed to Iowa May. So it’s been a very busy year, and a lot of communities have some difficult recovery challenges ahead.”
You can call FEMA directly at 800-621-FEMA (3362) to see if you are eligible for disaster relief. You can also go online at DisasterAssistance.gov, or use the FEMA app.
