Iowa Governor Terry Branstad asks President Obama to declare Northeast Iowa a federal disaster area

Iowa Governor Terry E. Branstad has officially signed a letter to President Barack Obama requesting a Presidential Disaster Declaration for eight Iowa counties where significant damage was sustained from severe storms and flooding in August.

Winneshiek, Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Floyd, Howard and Mitchell counties are covered by the request.

The governor requested funding under the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Public Assistance Program, which is used to rebuild damaged infrastructure that may include roads, bridges, culverts and other public facilities, or to cover costs of emergency work during, and debris removal after, the storms. A joint federal, state, and local preliminary damage assessment of the eight counties found the severe weather caused an estimated $4.8 million worth of damage that could be eligible under the Public Assistance Program.
 
The governor also requested funding to conduct hazard mitigation activities for the entire state.