Biden OK’s major disaster declaration for 8 Iowa counties

President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for eight Iowa counties that were hit last month by tornadoes.

According to the National Weather Service, over 20 tornadoes struck Iowa on April 26, killing one in the hard-hit town of Minden in Western Iowa.

The declaration opens up federal funding for families and businesses impacted by that day’s destructive storms. Minden and Central Iowa’s Pleasant Hill suffered significant damage from the tornadoes.

Residents can apply for assistance at disasterassistance.gov. Alternatively, residents can call the Federal Emergency Management Agency Helpline as 1-800-621-3362, or use the FEMA App.

The disaster declaration covers Clarke, Harrison, Mills, Polk, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby and Union counties, according to the White House. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on May 2 requested the declaration for nine counties.

Crawford County, which was included in her request, was not covered in the federal declaration. The weather service confirmed that two tornadoes carved paths that day through Crawford County, striking rural areas.

Residents in the eight counties can apply for FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program. The program provides households and businesses with housing assistance, property replacement and other expenses incurred by the disaster. The program does not cover any losses that are covered by insurance.

The declaration also makes hazard mitigation funding available on a cost-sharing basis, the White House said.

Individuals and businesses may also be able to apply for disaster loans through the Small Business Administration, Reynolds' office said.

With the arrival of FEMA funds through the individual assistance program, Iowa's Individual Assistance Grant Program will no longer be available in the eight counties covered by the federal declaration, Reynolds' office said.

Reynolds requests farmer assistance

After the announcement Tuesday of the federal declaration, Reynolds and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack requesting additional assistance for farmers who suffered damage.

The letter requests Vilsack to designate "any and all" federal U.S. Department of Agriculture programs — including the Farm Loans Program and Emergency Assistance for Livestock Program — to assist farmers in the eight counties in the declaration.

The programs would need to be approved by a secretarial designation from Vilsack.

"Iowa farmers have been significantly impacted by these storms and require assistance to recover from these catastrophic damages and to rebuild and replace destroyed grain bins, farm equipment, and operational business losses," Reynolds and Naig said in a statement.