(The Center Square) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday that $7.2 million from the State Disaster Recovery New Housing Grant Program is funding 175 new single and multi-family residences for storm victims in Cherokee, Crescent, Minden, Rock Rapids, Rock Valley and Spencer.
The governor announced the $10 million program in July as the state recovered from storms and flooding that left thousands homeless.
The $7.2 million is the first round of awards, Reynolds said.
“Today’s awards are about more than building housing,” the governor said in a news release. “They’re about restoring the sense of home that is vital to these disaster-impacted communities. This support will help them begin to heal and find stability once again.”
The program awards developers up to $1 million in grants to develop housing units for sale or rent in counties with a federal disaster declaration. The Iowa Economic Development Authority oversees the program, which gives a preference to single-family detached units, duplexes and townhouse-style developments, according to the governor’s office.
The Biden administration issued four federal disaster disaster declarations for the state, beginning with one in May due to flooding that began in late April. The state then experienced 19 tornadoes on April 16. Just over a month later, strong thunderstorms caused widespread damage, followed by another round of intense storms on June 16.
Reynolds said previously that the storms affected two-thirds of Iowa’s 99 counties, resulting in $130 million in damages.
