Federal flood relief is issued for eastern Iowa – Iowa Capital Dispatch

The federal government will provide an unspecified amount of money to help those in eastern Iowa who were affected by flooding in April and May.

That funding is available for governmental, tribal and not-for-profit organizations in Allamakee, Clayton, Des Moines, Dubuque, Jackson, Lee and Scott counties.

Areas of eastern Iowa were inundated with floodwater earlier this year because melting snow from Minnesota and Wisconsin pushed the Mississippi River out of its banks.

The river levels were among the top-five highest on record, according to the National Weather Service.

“A colder than normal March followed by a rapid warmup in April quickly melted the snow, dropping locations from over 20 inches of snow pack on April 1st to just a trace by mid month,” the Weather Service said. “While some of that snow melt was absorbed into the ground, much of it drained into the Mississippi River basin.”

The river crested in late April and didn’t recede to normal levels until May.

“Widespread low land flooding was experienced along the breadth of the Mississippi, impacting parks, campsites, roads, boat houses and near shore homes,” the Weather Service said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is coordinating the recovery efforts. Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office announced Friday that FEMA Public Assistance Program funding is available to eligible public entities and nonprofit organizations in the designated counties. It may be used for emergency work, such as debris removal and emergency protective measures, or for the repair or replacement of disaster-damaged facilities.

The disaster declaration also includes funding to conduct hazard mitigation activities for the entire state, the governor’s office announced. “With this funding, Iowa will be able to minimize the impact of future disasters by taking steps to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from natural hazards,” according to the governor’s office news release.