FEMA should reconsider denying federal disaster aid for Iowa

 Dear Editor,

At the end of this month, the Iowa Department of Homeland security will file a formal appeal with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urging them to reverse a decision they made earlier this year to deny federal disaster aid to several northwest Iowa rural electric cooperatives. 

In order to maintain safe and reliable energy, the electric cooperatives responded immediately to damages from brutal winter storms by making repairs to restore electricity. Following procedures, a federal disaster declaration was made and applications for federal disaster aid to partially cover the costs of repair and restoration were submitted. 

Rural electric cooperatives followed the same steps they had taken for years to apply for disaster aid meant exactly for these purposes. Therefore, everyone was stunned when FEMA denied the aid request totalling $20 million to repair systems in northwest Iowa. 

The denial set off a string of events throughout the summer including the active involvement of Iowa’s entire congressional delegation. Electric cooperatives, Iowa’s congressional delegation, Gov. Branstad and state departments joined together to urge FEMA to reconsider and follow their obligation to award federal disaster assistance grants based on the rules in place during the time of the storms. 

FEMA’s arbitrary changing of the rules and “moving the goal posts” is a betrayal of public trust. FEMA should take the opportunity provided in their appeal process to right the wrong decision made earlier this year and award federal disaster assistance to help coopeartives recover from storm damage and access federal funds meant precisely for that purpose. 

Phil Kinser is CEO/General Manager of Southwest Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative, based in Corning.