FEMA waives part of Iowa's state match requirement

 DES MOINES – State officials said Friday they were encouraged by a federal decision to waive the state's share of disaster response costs, but scaled back the expected impact because the order was limited to 14 days of weather damage cleanup activities.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to waive the 10 percent state match for the disaster response taken during last year's weather emergencies.

“Under the president's order today, the federal share for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, under the public assistance program has been increased to 100 percent federal funding for the first 14 days of the disaster beginning on May 25, 2008,” according to a statement issued by the White House press office late Thursday.

Phil Roeder, spokesman for Iowa Gov. Chet Culver, said the limited order would support clean-up efforts in Benton, Black Hawk, Butler and Delaware counties. But the 14-day span would not apply to Linn County, Cedar Rapids or downstream communities hard hit by record flooding in the second week of June and beyond.

“This is a very good step in the right direction, and will mean approximately $1 million in savings for Iowa to cover the cost of our clean-up efforts following last year's tornadoes,” he said.

Roeder said the announcement was helpful and “moving in the right direction,” but Iowa leaders would continue to press FEMA and Obama administration officials to expand the 100 percent federal role beyond the 14-day period covered by Thursday's order and to apply to a wider scope of response and recovery efforts.

Previously, federal officials said they were waiving the 15 percent local match requirement for FEMA aid provided for debris removal and emergency protective measures related to last year's severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that occurred in Iowa between May 25 and Aug. 13.

Culver has also asked the president for a longer extension of the federal government's 100 percent coverage of public assistance funding to help Iowa recover from the historic 2008 floods, Roeder added.

“Given the Obama administration's support of Iowa recovery efforts, highlighted this week by more than a half-billion dollars in CDBG funds, we are hopeful that the federal government will extend its 100 percent coverage further on behalf of Iowa,” the governor's spokesman said.

Culver has requested 100 percent federal funding of debris removal covering six months and emergency protective measures covering 45 days from the May 25 starting point, Roeder added.