CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - More than two dozen Iowa counties are hoping for derecho storm relief after Linn County and the Cedar Rapids area were quickly granted aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) this month.
Governor Kim Reynolds toured heavily damaged Cedar Rapids Tuesday with the head of the Small Business Administration, Jovita Carranza.
FEMA has been conducting assessments since Governor Reynolds requested $4 billion in federal assistance for 27 counties after the August 10th storm left heavy damage across central and eastern Iowa.
Reynolds said federal relief would make it to the other counties, and stressed that time is required to make assessments in all the counties. She mentioned Marshall and Tama counties and the cities of Marshalltown, Madrid and Woodward as especially hard hit areas in addition to the Cedar Rapids region.
FEMA money will provide assistance for county and city governments, as well as individual aid for homeowners, renters and businesses.
The federal Small Business Administration (SBA) provides low interest loans to individuals and businesses harmed by disasters. So far, only a group of counties surrounding Cedar Rapids have qualified for SBA assistance.
(Image from KCRG-TV)