Government : Benton County, Start Making Some Noise

This past week, President Trump approved the request by Governor Reynolds for funding under the FEMA Individual Assistance Program for...Linn County. Currently, the other counties are still being considered.

If anything, I've found that one squeaking wheel gets all the grease in government. Sure Cedar Rapids had monumental damage, but so did Benton County. So much in fact, that I had to stop driving around and taking pictures. It wasn't even my damage, but it is so bad in our county that I honestly had to take a break between photographing it. It's a lot to take in.

Which brings me back to this. It's time to be heard in Washington D.C. Power was just restored to some families in our county yesterday some 12 days after the derecho went through, some are STILL without.

Senator Chuck Grassley said, "Many Iowans' homes have been destroyed by this storm and federal assistance is needed to help them get back on their feet. I'll continue to work with FEMA, the State of Iowa and affected communities and individuals on further recovery needs." I don't know what that means in politician speak but it sounds like, we'll see what we can do for the rest of you, maybe we'll come through with the same, maybe not.

Joni Ernst said, "In my visits to Linn County to see the areas that have been hit hard by last week's derecho, folks have made it clear to me how important support from the federal government is to our recovery. I'll continue working to ensure folks across the state who have been affected by the derecho are getting the support they need." I don't know Joni, maybe it's time to "make 'em squeal" and take care of the people affected in our state.

The governor had also requested Individual Assistance funding for Audubon, Benton, Boone, Cass, Cedar, Clarke, Clinton, Dallas, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hardin, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Madison, Marshall, Muscatine, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Story, Tama, and Washington counties. She's done what she has to do, on top of dealing with the COVID mess, she's taken on this. But, we are are in "flyover country" and the mainstream media has yet to cover this as the disaster that it is.

The residents of the counties listed above can apply for the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program which provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level or a maximum annual income of $43,440 for a family of three. You may qualify for a grant for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses. To find the grant application and instructions go to the Iowa Department of Human Services website at https://dhs.iowa.gov/disaster-assistance-programs. Potential applicants have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to submit a claim.

You can apply for Disaster Case Management which is still available to those impacted by the storm. For information, go to www.iowacommunityaction.org.

This is a link to a damage reporting tool that citizens can use to report damages to their homes. "This information goes directly to Iowa Homeland Security Emergency Management and is made available to the local Benton County office as well...it can greatly speed up the damage reporting process. The State is still negotiating with FEMA to get the FEMA Individual Assistance program turned on for Benton County," said Scott Hansen.

In the meantime, light up the phone lines and contact the elected officials that we voted to represent us. They work for us. I've also found that in government, sometimes you have to apply a LOT of pressure to be heard. So here is the contact information below.

Abby Finkenauer - House of Representatives
Washington, DC office 202-225-2911
Cedar Rapids office 319-364-2288

Joni Ernst - U.S. Senate
Washington, DC office 202-224-3254
Cedar Rapids office 319-365-4504

Chuck Grassley - U.S. Senate
Washington, DC office 202-224-3744
Cedar Rapids office 319-363-6832

Thank the Governor for all that she's done to get this disaster on the radar but encourage her to keep the pressure on Washington D.C.

Kim Reynolds - Governor
515-281-5211