INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Department of Homeland Security recently sent a letter to FEMA appealing a decision to deny federal assistance for county governments in northern Indiana devastated by flooding earlier this year.
Counties included are: Benton, Carroll, Cass, Dekalb, Elkhart, Jasper, Kosciusko, Marshall, Newton, Noble, Pulaski, Starke and White. Last week, IDHS, Indiana Department of Transportation, FEMA and county officials performed preliminary damage assessments to quantify additional damage in those counties.FEMA's public assistance program provides supplemental federal disaster grant assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities and the facilities of certain private non-profit organizations. The program also encourages protection of these damaged facilities from future events by providing assistance for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process.
On March 20, FEMA denied a request to financially assist county and local governments.
