Pottawattamie County Residents Now Eligible to Apply for FEMA Individual Assistance
Posted by: Public Relations
COUNCIL BLUFFS – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Pottawattamie County under the Stafford Act was approved on Tuesday, opening the possibility for additional assistance for disaster-affected residents.
The Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Agency was notified of the approval, twelve days after Governor Reynolds requested an expedited declaration for damage that occurred during the severe weather event on April 26th.
As a result of a local, state, and federal damage assessment conducted last week, residents in Pottawattamie County can now apply for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Individual Assistance Program. The program provides disaster-affected homeowners, renters, and businesses with programs and services to maximize recovery, including assistance with housing, personal property replacement, medical expenses, and legal services.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated areas can begin applying for assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362. The helpline operates from 7:00AM to 10:00PM, 7 days a week. Anyone using a relay service, such as video relay service (VRS), captioned telephone service or others, can give FEMA the number for that service. Other options include registering online at disasterassistance.gov or downloading the FEMA mobile app.
Homeowners, renters, businesses, and nonprofit organizations whose property was damaged or destroyed by the disaster, may be able to apply for low-interest disaster loans from the SBA. In addition, small businesses, agricultural cooperatives, and private, nonprofit organizations impacted by the severe weather may be eligible to apply for working capital loans.
Local officials will provide further information to residents on where to register for assistance and alternative means of registering with FEMA, after plans are finalized over the next couple of days.
“We will be working with partners from Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management and FEMA tomorrow to develop plans for outlining information and detailing the process of accessing the program available to disaster survivors,” said Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Director Doug Reed.
Residents are urged to monitor media outlets and Pottawattamie County Emergency Management’s Facebook Page, X (formerly Twitter), and website (pcema-ia.org) for ongoing information.
Ways to access FEMA and SBA assistance:
- Apply for assistance by calling 1-800-621-3362
- Registering online at disasterassistance.gov or downloading the FEMA mobile app
- Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955
- Applicants may download applications at sba.gov/funding-programs/disaster-assistance
