Disaster aid to Iowa tops $4 billion

DES MOINES – Government aid authorized to help Iowa communities, businesses and individuals recovery from the worst natural disaster in Iowa history has topped the $4 billion mark, state officials said today.

The Rebuild Iowa Office reports that recent allocations by the 2010 Iowa Legislature and the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration have pushed recovery funds allocated to Iowa's 2008  disaster past the $4 billion plateau.

So far, more than $3.1 billion of Iowa's $4 billion in disaster funds have been approved for use and more than $1.2 billion has been spent.

During the just-completed legislative session, lawmakers approved nearly $65 million in recovery funds for state and community recovery programs. Also, last month federal officials made several significant announcements including $35 million to the city of Cedar Rapids for construction of the new downtown events center, $3 million to the Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce to build a Regional Commerce Center and Small Business Incubator, and $22 million to Iowa City to fund the relocation of the North Wastewater Treatment Facility.

RIO officials said many disaster assistance programs operate on a reimbursement basis – a method that results in a gap between “spent” and “approved” funds. As projects move toward completion, money will be reimbursed to the homeowner, business, community or entity, which will be reflected in the “spent” column.

For example, buyouts of disaster-impacted homes have just started to occur in Iowa, RIO officials said. Once the buyout process is complete, the state will then see a large increase of funds in the “spent” column of the funding chart below.

More than 39,800 Iowans registered with FEMA for disaster assistance and more than 35,000 Iowans visited FEMA disaster recovery centers around Iowa. Of the 85 Iowa counties eligible for federal assistance, 77 are eligible for both individual assistance and public assistance.

Iowans can also follow the money as it moves through the system from federal agencies to local entities through monthly funding charts and graphs at www.rio.iowa.gov.

The chart below provides a snapshot of the latest funding information as of April 30, 2010.

Funding Source

Allocation to Iowa

Approved for Local or State Use

Spent

FEMA Housing & Other Needs Assistance Funds

$136,551,099

$136,551,099

$135,361,516

FEMA Infrastructure Funds

(Hazard Mitigation & Property Acquisition)

$294,000,000

$102,922,119

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FEMA Public Assistance

$848,354,973

$848,354,973

$330,897,051

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Loan

$272,436,500

$272,436,500

$134,011,000

Community Development Block Grant

$798,701,825

$509,324,223

$76,391,919

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture – Emergency Watershed Program

$70,694,469

$35,357,190

$6,645,358

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture – Rural Development

$200,500,000

$200,500,000

$200,500,000

U.S. Dept. of Agriculture –

Farm Services and Emergency Conservation Program

$34,927,700

$34,927,700

$34,927,700

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

$92,694,548

$92,694,548

$92,694,548

Initial State Funding for Jumpstart Housing & Business Programs

$35,000,000

$34,836,154

$34,216,044

State Executive Council Action

$28,261,175

$28,011,175

$5,827,887

Iowa Finance Authority Tax Credits

$626,479,310

$415,037,650

$69,346,086

U.S. Dept. of Transportation Funds

$34,886,219

$34,018,177

$18,112,785

National Emergency Grant for Labor/Jobs Assistance

$28,773,300

$28,182,798

$23,586,083

Social Service Block Grant

$11,157,944

$11,157,944

$5,230,455

Disaster Unemployment Assistance

$6,681,951

$6,681,951

$6,681,951

Economic Development Administration (EDA)

$85,060,820

$82,060,820

$23,392,272

Crisis Counseling Grant

$2,665,429

$2,665,429

$2,455,726

State College Scholarship & Grant Reserve

$500,000

$500,000

$500,000

Iowa Disaster Recovery Bill

$56,000,000

$52,470,153

$50,802,166

National Endowment for the Arts Emergency Support

$100,000

$100,000

$100,000

CEBA Disaster Recovery

$4,305,000

$4,305,000

$2,815,000

Administration on Aging

$57,818

$57,818

$50,761

Regents Bonding for Disaster Recovery

$100,000,000

$100,000,000

$27,025,000

I-Jobs Bonding for Disaster Recovery

$230,900,000

$131,161,795

$10,162,984

DNR Floodplain Management/Dam Safety

$2,000,000

$2,000,000

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Watershed Improvement

$2,000,000

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GRAND TOTAL

$4,003,690,080

$3,166,315,216

$1,270,734,292