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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has amended the July 29 major disaster declaration to include Individual Assistance for Iowa counties struck by severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding beginning on June 1, 2010.

Individual Assistance may now be available to eligible residents and business owners in 29 Iowa counties: Black Hawk, Cherokee, Clayton, Decatur, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Jackson, Jones, Kossuth, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Marion, O'Brien, Osceola, Ringgold, Sioux, Story, Taylor, Union, Warren, Webster, and Wright counties.

The State of Iowa requested a disaster declaration for the aforementioned counties prior to this past week's flooding. FEMA is rapidly working with state and local officials to assess current damage and more information will be released if additional counties are designated.

Assistance may include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster. 

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties may immediately begin registering for assistance online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time). Those registering for aid should be prepared to provide basic information about themselves, details on insurance coverage, and any other information to help substantiate losses.

Federal funding also is available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations in numerous counties.  Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Follow FEMA online at www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.come/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.  The social media links provided are for reference only.

*News Release provided by FEMA