Iowa tornado, storm recovery: Major Disaster Declaration approved [Video]

The declaration covers four Iowa counties where significant damage occurred. With Biden’s approval, residents of Adair, Polk, Story and Montgomery County could be eligible for the FEMA Individual Assistance Program or U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Loans. 

“I want [to] thank President Biden for expediting my request for federal assistance, and I greatly appreciate the responsiveness of FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who was with me yesterday in Greenfield to assess the catastrophic damage caused by Tuesday’s tornadoes,” Reynolds said in a statement. “This assistance is critical to Iowa’s recovery process.” 

202 homes across the state were destroyed, Reynolds said Thursday. That number includes 153 homes in Adair County, 26 in Polk County, 15 in Story County and eight in Montgomery County. 

Donna Duberke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, added that the three tornadoes …