What a presidential disaster declaration means for you

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - You may have heard that a presidential disaster declaration has been declared for some northwest Iowa counties hit hard by the flooding. But, you may have questions about what that actually means.

Here is some information straight from the Federal Emergency Management Agency . The declaration opens up individual assistance, public assistance and hazard mitigation.

But, this declaration was only made for Clay, Emmet, Lyon, Plymouth and Sioux counties. It is not available, right now, in Woodbury or Union counties. But, elected officials are pushing for those counties to be added.

Individual assistance includes housing assistance for those who've lost their homes.

"For dollars to have some four-to-six months residency places, whether it be hotels, whether it be other rental units, these are all things that need to be thought through," said Rep. Randy Feenstra.

Other individual assistance includes unemployment insurance for those who lost their jobs, a tax extension, and a Small Business Administration Disaster Loan. FEMA says these are loans subsidized with tax dollars with low interest rates, meant to repair or replace homes or businesses that sustained flood damage.

To qualify for the SBA loan, the loss must not be covered by insurance.

"Anything coming in from FEMA is matched with state and local funds," said Sen. Mike Rounds. "So if you take the state funds, you can use state funds, but I'm not sure the state funds would be enough to actually take care of the needs that are down here. I think it could be more significant than that."

Local officials are also warning: Keep your receipts if you begin to repair damage, that way you can give them to FEMA if you qualify for assistance.

You can apply for assistance at DisasterAssistance.gov , or by calling 1-800-621-3362, or by using the FEMA app.