Derecho assistance available to local famers

     Jones County Emergency Management Coordinator Brenda Leonard said farmers have the same opportunities as homeowners when it comes to assistance stemming from the Aug. 10 derecho.

     “There is a rumor going around that farmers don’t have the same opportunity to apply as those in Linn or Cedar counties,” Leonard shared with the Jones County Supervisors at their Sept. 15 board meeting. “That rumor is entirely untrue.”

     Leonard said while FEMA will not pay to cover damages to farm-related structures and outbuildings, there is assistance for farmers through the USDA.

     U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue designated 18 counties in Iowa as “primary natural disaster areas.” This includes Jones County. Farmers and producers who suffered losses because of the derecho are eligible for emergency loans.

     Leonard said her team has been documenting any type of damage in Jones County from the storm, whether it’s houses, sheds, crops, farm buildings, etc.

     “Farmers are not missing out on anything here,” she reiterated. “We’re documenting everything.

     “It’s been a lot of battling with insurance companies,” Leonard said of those with damage. “That’s what it’s coming down to.”

     She urged farmers to follow up on their damage claims, something they have to do on their own. Leonard said she placed ads in local papers, posted information on the Jones County Emergency Management Facebook page, and has a link on her website to direct people where they can get the help they need.

     “Information is readily available for everyone if they wish to find it,” noted Supervisor Wayne Manternach. “It’s out there.”

     In terms of FEMA assistance for homeowners who took on damage from the derecho, Leonard said they continue to document damage; however, the extent of the damage doesn’t add up to FEMA’s definition of “destroyed.”

     “This is what I have to go by,” she explained.

     In addition, homeowners must also be under-insured or uninsured. Property owners fitting that description are hard to come by in this case.

     Those who might qualify, Leonard said, are having trouble getting a structural engineer out to assess the damage. And there is a deadline in which to apply for FEMA assistance.