Government : Recovery Steps Outlined for Families Impacted by March 5th Tornado

Late Monday afternoon the Governor's Office issued a disaster proclamation for Benton County opening up the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for families and individuals impacted by Saturday's Tornado.

According to Scott Hansen, Benton County Emergency Management Director, the first step for anyone receiving damage is to contact their insurance company. If they do not have insurance, then they should immediately complete the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program.

The insurance process must be started before any other assistance programs may be utilized. Once the insurance process is started then it is important to move right to Step two - review the guidelines for the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and apply if qualification requirements are met. The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Human Services website HERE.

The income guidelines for the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant are on the application. Families should fill out the application online or print and complete a hard copy that they take to the HACAP Office located at 202 E 4th Street in Vinton. A HACAP case worker will be assigned to the application and work with a family to help with receiving assistance.

Hansen says: "Do not wait until the insurance process is complete to apply as the application period closes on April 21, 2022. Both processes can be going on simultaneously."

If insurance does not cover all of the damages sustained in the tornado and a family or individual does not qualify for the Iowa Individual Assistance program, then an application should be made with the Benton County Disaster Recovery Coalition. There are no income restrictions for the Coalition programs. The Coalition is Benton County's local non-profit organization with representatives from many agencies working with donated funds to assist individuals and families with disaster recovery.

The application for the Benton County Disaster Recovery Coalition can be found at: www.bentoncountyema.com . The application should be mailed to: BCDRC, PO Box 125, Vinton, IA 52349. For questions contact: 219-241-5121.