By Cheril Lee
Omaha, NE – The state of Iowa received word from FEMA Director Craig Fugate earlier this month that a request for activation of the Federal Individual Assistance Program for five counties was denied.
Derek Hill is the Homeland Security Advisor to Governor Terry Branstad and Administrator for the Homeland Security Emergency Management Division. He says the five affected counties are Fremont, Harrison, Monona, Pottawattamie and Woodbury.
Hill says the state has 30 days to appeal the decision but must provide new evidence for FEMA to approve the request, "As you can imagine, 30 days from now, the river is not going to look a lot different than it looks right now. It'll be down some, but we're still not going to be able to get in and examine houses. So the governor sent a request for an extension to file the appeal."
Hill says rather than being due the 1st of September, the state has asked for an extension to file the appeal November 15th. He says that gives the river time to recede so IEMA can gain access to the homes that need to be examined. In the meantime, individuals meeting certain criteria may be eligible for state individual assistance.
Details are available at dhs.ia.gov.