Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
For the first time since massive flooding and tornadoes ripped through Iowa and left 85 of the state’s 99 counties eligible for federal assistance, the state is reporting that recovery spending has topped $1 billion.
Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, right, visits with Cedar Rapids flood victims on the one year anniversary of the massive 2008 floods (Iowa Independent file photo).
However, while the figure may be massive it remains less than a third of the $3.6 billion in disaster recovery funds that have been promised to Iowa.
While more than 20 individual funding streams exist, the Federal Emergency Management Agency‘s funds have been the most utilized by Iowans. The agency’s Other Needs Assistance (ONA) funds, jointly administered by FEMA and the Iowa Department of Human Services for victims immediately following a disaster, has spent all but roughly $1 million of the $136.5 million allocated to Iowa.
More than $750 million of the total disaster recovery funds promised to Iowa remains unallocated or earmarked for specific projects or entities.
State officials involved in recovery efforts are to quick to point out that such a massive recovery will take time, and that especially mitigation projects need to be methodical and thoughtful in order to prevent future disasters. They also point to the fact that Iowa remains ahead of other natural disaster sites in the nation in terms of receiving and distributing recovery funds.
Much of the recovery effort in Iowa centers in northeastern Linn and Johnson counties, where Cedar Rapids and Iowa City were both hard-hit by June 2008 floods. Local officials in Cedar Rapids, who were displaced from their facilities by the flood, continue to debate and accept public comment regarding the future of certain structures. Until plans such as those are closer to reality, it is difficult for the Rebuild Iowa Office or other state and federal agencies to allocate funds to the projects.
According to figures from the Rebuild Iowa Office, more than 39,800 Iowans have registered with FEMA, and more than 35,000 Iowans have visited disaster recovery centers throughout the state. In addition to the 85 Iowa counties eligible for federal assistance, 77 counties are also eligible for state and public assistance.
A detailed look at the various funding streams, the amounts that have been promised/allocated to Iowa, what’s been approved for local use and the totals spent as of Dec. 4 are in the chart below:
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Iowa Disaster Recovery Snapshot, |
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| Funding Stream |
Promised |
Approved |
Spent |
% Spent |
| FEMA Housing & Other Needs Assistance Funds |
$136,550,681 |
$136,550,681 |
$135,509,682 |
99.2% |
|
Administered through FEMA and the Iowa Department of Human Services, goes to disaster victims immediately following the disaster to cover personal property losses, repairs and other items. |
||||
| FEMA Hazard Mitigation Funds | $316,000,000 | $100,912,887 | $0 | 0% |
|
Funding used for hazard mitigation measures including property acquisitions for green space, allocation/promised figure is an estimate and not the final figure |
||||
| FEMA Public Assistance Funds | $805,342,711 | $805,342,711 | $299,124,770 | 37.1% |
|
Funding to repair and replace disaster-damaged public infrastructure such as buildings, bridges and roads; estimated that Iowa will receive more than $1 billion through this program alone |
||||
| U.S. Small Business Administration Loan Funds | $272,436,500 | $272,436,500 | $130,932,200 | 48.1% |
|
Low-interest loans for disaster-affected homeowners and businesses. In some cases, individuals were approved for loans they chose not to take. |
||||
| Community Development Block Grant Funds | $798,701,825 | $324,302,558 | $40,653,951 | 5.1% |
|
Currently used to fund Jumpstart Housing, rental repair, Jumpstart Small Business, Disaster Recovery Case Management and new housing production. Future plans include infrastructure, housing acquisitions and flood plain mapping. Awards to local entities will not appear in “approved” column until contracts are finalized. |
||||
| USDA Conservation Funds | $74,043,639 | $33,563,722 | $3,829,890 | 5.2% |
|
Administred directly through federal offices such as the Farm Services Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, includes the Emergency Watershed Program. |
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| USDA Rural Development Funds | $192,827,158 | $192,827,158 | $192,827,158 | 100% |
|
Administered by the USDA, includes grants, direct loans and guaranteed loans |
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| USDA Farm Services Funds | $34,927,700 | $34,927,700 | $34,927,700 | 100% |
|
Administered by federal authorities such as the Farm Services Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, includes the Emergency Conservation Program |
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| U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Funds | $58,899,436 | $58,899,436 | $58,899,436 | 100% |
|
Used by the Army Corps of Engineers for disaster recovery efforts in Iowa |
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| Initial State Jumpstart Funds | $35,000,000 | $34,904,216 | $33,689,048 | 96.3% |
|
Funds were transferred from other state program by the Governor and Executive Council to serve as a bridge to federal funding for Jumpstart Housing and Small Business Assistance |
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| State Executive Council Funds | $28,261,175 | $28,011,175 | $5,889,259 | 20.8% |
|
Funds were transfers authorized by the State Executive Council to cover Iowa’s 10 percent cost share for the FEMA Public |
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| Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) Tax Credits | $418,559,200 | $406,354,100 | $0 | 0% |
|
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, approved in 12/2008 for several affordable housing projects, federal tax credits that will be |
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| U.S. Department of Transportation Funds | $35,647,334 | $34,572,688 | $16,982,507 | 47.6% |
|
Federal funds to assist the Iowa Department of Transportation with disaster-related transportation costs, including repairs & other expenses |
||||
| National Emergency Grant Funds | $28,773,300 | $27,682,798 | $19,526,660 | 67.9% |
|
Used for the Emergency Public Jobs Program, which provides work for disaster-affected and unemployed Iowans on disaster |
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| Social Services Block Grant Funds | $11,157,944 | $11,157,944 | $2,029,793 | 18.2% |
|
Funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, primarily used for for disaster-related mental health programs, |
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| Disaster Unemployment Assistance Funds | $6,681,951 | $6,681,951 | $6,681,951 | 100% |
|
Offered temporary financial assistance to individuals unemployed due to the disaster, has now expired |
||||
| Economic Development Administration Funds | $26,842,654 | $26,842,654 | $1,871,092 | 7% |
|
Funds various projects throughout state including statewide Economic Recovery Strategy by the Rebuild Iowa Office, steam |
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| Crisis Counseling Grant Funds | $2,665,429 | $2,665,429 | $2,394,579 | 89.8% |
|
FEMA grant for Project Recovery Iowa, a post-disaster counseling assistance program administered by the Iowa Department of Human Services, has expired & all unused grant funds at the Sept. 30 deadline were returned to FEMA |
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| State Scholarship & Grant Reserve Funds | $500,000 | $500,000 | $500,000 | 100% |
|
Provided scholarships for college students impacted by the disaster, all funds awarded prior to the 2008 school years |
||||
| Iowa Disaster Recovery Bill | $56,000,000 | $51,665,266 | $48,335,324 | 86.3% |
|
Funding appropriated Feb. 2009 by the legislature includes funds for Housing Jumpstart, Individual Unmet Needs Grants and |
||||
| National Endowment for the Arts Emergency Support Funds | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | 100% |
|
Iowa Arts Council grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2008, has expired |
||||
| Community Economic Betterment Account (CEBA) | $2,810,000 | $2,810,000 | $2,000,000 | 71.2% |
|
Program normally used for loans and forgivable loans to small-business owners, was made available with loosened restrictions to disaster-impacted businesses, has expired |
||||
| Administration on Aging Funds | $57,818 | $57,818 | $50,761 | 87.8% |
|
Disaster-related funding through the Iowa Department on Aging |
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| Regents Bonding Funds | $100,000,000 | $100,000,000 | $0 | 0% |
|
Disaster-related bonding made possible by the legislature |
||||
| I-Jobs Bonding Funds | $170,000,000 | $166,582,816 | $1,098,836 | 0.6% |
|
Disaster-related bonding made possible by the I-Jobs program, passed by the legislature |
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The Iowa Legislature Web site also makes a document available for download with estimated disaster recovery funding by county.
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