Jasper County has been added to president’s disaster declaration

Jasper County has now been added to the president’s major disaster declaration following the severe flooding and wind storms that occurred one month ago. The decision comes after emergency management officials met with state leaders and even U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley to convince the feds for help.

“Advocating for Iowans’ needs at the federal level is my core responsibility as an elected representative,” Grassley said in a statement to Newton News. “Local residents and emergency responders have communicated with my staff and spoken with me directly about the urgent need for federal assistance following May’s severe storms. I was glad to support Jasper County’s addition to the Major Disaster Declaration, and I stand ready to help storm-impacted Iowans recover in any way that I can.”

In a press release from Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, it was announced three more counties had been added to the presidential disaster order: Jasper, Adams and Cedar. The counties of Adair, Polk, Story and Montgomery were included in the original declaration on May 24.

Jamey Robinson, director of Jasper County Emergency Management Agency, continues to receive calls from residents who are still negatively impacted by last month’s storms. Many saw damages to their homes and essential utilities like heating and cooling systems. Others have lost everything.

Unyielding in his approach, Robinson continued to push for further assistance from the federal government by reaching out to the governor’s office, state departments and Iowa lawmakers. He told Newton News he is not sure why Jasper County was excluded from the declaration in the first place.

Robinson estimates Jasper County suffered $10 million in damages. He also said 208 people had been impacted by substantial flooding.

As a result of Jasper County being added to the declaration, residents can now apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individual Assistance Program, which provides affected homeowners, renters and businesses with programs and services to maximize recovery efforts.

These services include housing, personal property replacement, medical expenses and legal services. Individuals and business owners who sustained losses should apply for assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362. The helpline operates from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.

Residents can also register online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by downloading the FEMA app.

Homeowners, renters, businesses and nonprofits whose property was damage or destroyed by this disaster may be able to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Small businesses, agricultural cooperatives and private nonprofits impacted may be eligible for capital loans.

Applications for disaster loans or capital loans can be filled out online at www.sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance.

SBA’s customer service center can be reached by phone at 1-800-659-2955 or by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability are encouraged to dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.

FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams are currently being displayed to Clay, Emmet, Lyon, Plymouth and Sioux Counties to help survivors of the record flooding in northwest Iowa. The DSA teams are also assisting residents in Adams, Cedar and Jasper Counties.

FEMA’s involvement is the result of a month of work from Robinson.

“Repeated trips to people’s houses, conversations, gathering information, submitting information — push, push, push, push,” Robinson said.

Robinson told Newton News that he met with federal officials on June 25 and gave FEMA workers the list of reported damages in Jasper County. Most of the damages were to homes. Robinson said either three or four businesses reported damages to their properties.

Kellogg experienced some of the worst damage from the floods. Homes in a recent subdivision suffered significant water damage to their basements after a nearby culvert was clogged. Holmdahl Park was completely under water. And the highway leading into town was at one point submerged and impassable.

Robinson said Newton itself had 150 reports of damages. Residents had anywhere from a few inches to a few feet of water in their basements.

Jasper County’s inclusion in the president’s disaster declaration means FEMA will meet residents to survey their damage and get them registered in recovery programs. Jasper County EMA is working on creating a response center using one of the FEMA buses. It will be set up for a few days.

“They’ll look at their damages,” Robinson said. “They can’t duplicate services. So if they have insurance and insurance is paying for it they’re not going to get a check. That is one thing. If insurance isn’t paying it, then they’ll give them money based on the percentage of damages up to a certain amount.”

Important to note: The damaged home must be a primary residence.