FEMA Funds Approved For Iowa County Hit Hardest By Derecho

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — President Donald Trump approved Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for eastern Iowa's Linn County — the hardest-hit by last week's rare hurricane-strength wind storm.

Gov. Kim Reynolds' office announced the approval Thursday night. The FEMA individual assistance program helps homeowners, renters, and businesses affected by natural disasters. It includes assistance with housing, personal property replacement, medical expenses and legal services.

The approval is sure to be welcomed by the county's largest city, Cedar Rapids, which received massive damage from the Aug. 10 storm that saw winds of up to 140 mph at times. Nearly 12,000 Alliant Energy customers remained without power Friday morning, some 11 days after the storm, The Gazette reported.

Earlier this week during a brief stop in Cedar Rapids, Trump promised to approve Reynolds' request for $180 million in FEMA aid for damaged homes and infrastructure for 27 counties in the state. He also promised additional funding for farmers who were affected by the storm.

The FEMA request includes $100 million in damage to private utilities and $82.7 million in damage to homes, according to early state estimates. In additional, farmers sustained an estimated $2.7 billion in damage to crops, grain storage and buildings, which is part of the declaration and would likely be covered under various U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.

The FEMA requests for the 26 other Iowa counties are still being assessed.

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