Gov. Mike Pence filed an appeal Monday with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) seeking to allow residents and businesses in six counties to receive federal disaster assistance following tornadoes that struck on Nov. 17 in Kokomo.
Counties listed in the appeal are Boone, Daviess, Fountain, Grant, Howard and Tippecanoe.
“We continue in our commitment to help Hoosiers who have been devastated by the storms from Nov. 17,” Pence said. “Under FEMA’s guidelines, these counties have the greatest potential for the state to receive federal assistance.”
Teams with representatives from FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Indiana Department of Homeland Security and county emergency management agencies conducted additional joint preliminary damage assessments last week. A request for federal assistance on Dec. 4 for Howard County was denied by FEMA on Dec. 11.
The governor has requested Individual Assistance, which, if granted, would make homeowners and renters eligible to apply for grants and low-interest loans. Businesses would be eligible to apply for low-interest loans.
The assessments estimate the six counties will need $8.15 million in SBA home loans, including $5.15 million to Howard County, and an additional $1.84 in SBA business loans, with $606,000 going to Howard County businesses.
In all, the second joint preliminary damage assessment included five more counties and an additional 121 residential structures with major damage or that were destroyed.
The request also includes $4.35 million for housing repairs, $1.39 million for “other needs assistance,” $1.3 million for home replacements and $335,000 for temporary housing in the six-county area.
Indiana Department of Homeland Security Senior Public Information Officer John Erickson said the IDHS performed its initial assessment using a list of damage classification criteria for homes and businesses provided by FEMA. Homes and businesses hit by the tornadoes were classified as destroyed, major damage, minor damage and affected.
After the IDHS gathered initial data, which was verified by local county and city officials, FEMA performed a joint preliminary damage assessment to make sure the numbers on both estimates matched. Erickson said FEMA’s final initial assessment determined that “the severity and magnitude of the damage was not great enough for federal assistance to be granted.”