Preliminary Iowa Flood Damage Reaches $26 Million

Flooding that soaked southwest Iowa earlier this month caused $26 million in damage, according to preliminary assessments released by state officials.

The total estimates were included in a request for federal disaster assistance made by Gov. Chet Culver.

Culver’s request covers 18 counties where the state is seeking assistance for public property, such as bridges and streets. In 11 of those counties, the state is also seeking assistance for homes and businesses that were damaged, said Kara Berg, a spokeswoman for Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Culver’s request seeks $21.6 million in aid for public damage and $4.5 million in damage to individual homes and businesses, Berg said.

“Those were preliminary assessments we needed to turn in with the presidential request,” Berg said. “If we get the declaration, more assessments will be done and those figures could go up, or down …”

Berg said the preliminary assessments are for uninsured damage.

Harrison County was hit the hardest by the flooding with more than $1.4 million in damage. More than 70 homes and businesses were damaged in Missouri Valley alone, according to the assessments.

The county also had more than $7.5 million in damage to public property.

Cass County reported the next highest amount of individual damage at $524,000. Mills County has the next highest amount of damage to public property at $2.5 million.

The counties covered by Culver’s request for federal aid are Audubon, Cass, Clarke, Crawford, Decatur, Fremont, Harrison, Ida, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Sac, Shelby, Taylor and Union.

Bret Voorhees, bureau chief with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said residents who believe they were affected by the flooding should keep their records in case the presidential declaration is approved.

“For now, those affected should keep all receipts so they can document their losses,” Voorhees said.