SICOG Executive Director, Beth Waddle, recently reached out to southern Iowa county economic development organizations to raise awareness of three new grant opportunities. These grants are available to residents and businesses within areas under Federal Disaster Declarations, including Clarke County.
In the past few months, southern Iowa has seen more than expected extreme weather. From tornadoes and isolated rain straight-line winds to severe hail incidents, residents and businesses alike have been financially impacted by the damaging weather.
The Federal Government recently approved a major disaster declaration for Clarke, Harrison, Mills, Polk, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby, and Union Counties in response to the severe weather that occurred on April 26. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are now authorized to provide assistance.
On May 8, 2024, Governor Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Clarke, Marion, O’Brien, and Pottawattamie counties in response to severe weather that occurred on May 6.
And, from a release dated June 24, 2024:
“Gov. Kim Reynolds announced today that President Biden has approved Iowa’s request for a Major Disaster Declaration for Iowa counties where significant damage was sustained from severe storms, flooding, straight-line winds, and tornadoes that occurred beginning on June 16, 2024 and continuing.”
Ms. Waddle offered links and documents for those interested in pursuing recovery grants.
The three grant opportunities are listed/linked below:
DISASTER RECOVERY FARM INTEREST PROGRAM (DRFIP): provides financial assistance to agricultural asset owners and producers who are recovering from property damage and losses caused by recent severe weather events.
DISASTER RECOVERY HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: provides financial assistance to eligible homeowners affected by recent natural disasters, helping them to expedite repairs to their homes.
STATE DISASTER RECOVERY NEW HOUSING GRANT: provides financial assistance for the development of for sale and rental housing in cities impacted by the disasters.
Applications open on Monday, July 15, 2024. Each grant opportunity is based on a first come, first served bases until funding is expended. The images within this feature provide links to each document PDF.