PACIFIC JUNCTION, Iowa – Vice President Mike Pence visited western Iowa on Friday to survey flood damage with Gov. Kim Reynolds, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley from the air. Then The also visited Lincoln’s Ridgeview Farms in Pacific Junction, which was devastated by the recent flooding.
He tweeted about the trip on Friday afternoon.
He also took a shot at Democratic presidential candidates who voted against disaster relief for those impacted by flooding in the Midwest.
Reynolds thanked Pence for his visit.
Grassley responded to Pence’s visit on Instagram.
Ernst tweeted reassuring constituents that she was fighting to ensure Iowans receive the aid they need.
Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation 58 of Iowa’s 99 counties which activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and the Disaster Case Management Program.
Qualifying residents in the following counties are still eligible for these programs: Adair, Audubon, Appanoose, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buena Vista, Butler, Carroll, Cass, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clay, Clayton, Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Delaware, Dickinson, Emmet, Fayette, Franklin, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Kossuth, Louisa, Lucas, Madison, Mahaska, Marshall, Mitchell, Monroe, Montgomery, O’Brien, Page, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Scott, Shelby, Sioux, Tama, Union, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, Worth, and Wright.
The Iowa Individual Assistant Grant Program gives grants of $5000 to households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level or a maximum annual income of $41,560 for a family of three. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food and temporary housing expenses.
Those eligible can apply through the Iowa Department of Human Services. Potential applicants have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to submit a claim.
Residents in Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, and Woodbury counties no longer qualify for the Iowa Individual Assistant Grant Program after President Donald Trump issued a major disaster proclamation for their counties.
Those residents can apply for the federal Individual Assistance Program by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362 or 1-800-462-7585 TTY.
On Thursday, Ernst and Grassley introduced The Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2019 that provides tax relief for individuals in areas of Iowa and Nebraska that have been declared a major disaster by President Donald Trump.
Ernst’s office also notes that she and Grassley are working on an amendment that will extend federal relief from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cover Iowa farmers who have lost stored grain as a result of the floods.