As of Friday, Sept. 11, FEMA has approved more than $3.3 million in grants through its Individual Assistance program for 947 households. Updates and information are posted on the DR-4557-IA disaster webpage: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4557. In addition to the FEMA approvals, The Small Business Administration has approved more than $4 million in disaster loans for homeowners, renters and small businesses. To be eligible, survivors must have damage that occurred on Aug. 10. That is the date of the Iowa derecho and the only day in the incident period.
Cedar County Emergency Management Director Jodi Freet advises survivors in Cedar County that they have until Oct. 19 to register for disaster assistance. “We are encouraging all of those residents to apply for FEMA Individual Assistance as soon as possible. If you haven’t already done so, contact your insurance company and file a claim for the disaster-caused damage you’ve suffered. If you do have insurance, FEMA does require that you make a claim with your insurance provider prior to registering for FEMA assistance.” Freet reminds applicants that they may register for FEMA Individual Assistance by going online to disasterassistance.gov; calling 800-621-3362 (TTY: 800-462-7585) between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Central Time, seven days a week; or by using the FEMA Mobile App for smartphones.
Applicants will need the following to apply. Upload all required documents at DisasterAssistance.gov:
* Address of the damaged property.
* Description of disaster-caused damage and losses.
* Current mailing address.
* Current telephone number.
* Social Security number of one member of the household.
* Insurance information.
* Total household annual income.
* Bank account routing and account number for direct deposit.
* Save your FEMA registration number, also known as FEMA ID number.
* Check your DisasterAssistance.gov account for updates.