605—7.6(29C) Damage assessment and financial assistance for disaster recovery.

1. 7.6(1)  Local preliminary damage assessment and impact statement. The local emergency management coordinator shall be responsible for the coordination and collection of initial damage reports, damage assessment and impact statement information immediately following a disaster that affects the jurisdiction.
2. 7.6(2)  Damage assessment guidance and forms to be provided. The department will provide guidance regarding the methodologies to be used in collecting damage assessment and impact statement information and shall provide the forms and format by which this information shall be recorded.
3. 7.6(3)  Joint preliminary damage assessment. Once the governor has determined that a request for a presidential disaster declaration is appropriate, joint preliminary damage assessment teams, consisting of local, state, and federal inspectors, may assess the damages and costs incurred or to be incurred in responding to and recovering from the disaster. All affected city, municipality, or county governments shall be required to provide assistance to the joint preliminary damage assessment teams for conducting damage assessments. The jurisdiction may be required to develop maps to show the damaged areas and to compile lists of names and telephone numbers of individuals, businesses, private nonprofit entities, and governmental agencies sustaining disaster response and recovery costs or damages. This joint preliminary damage assessment may be required before the request for presidential declaration is formally transmitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
4. 7.6(4)  Public assistance and hazard mitigation applicant briefing. In the event that a presidential disaster declaration is received, affected jurisdictions and eligible private nonprofit entities should be prepared to attend a public assistance and hazard mitigation briefing to acquire the information and documents necessary to make their formal applications for public and hazard mitigation assistance. Failure to comply with the deadlines for making application for public and mitigation assistance as established in 44 CFR Parts 204 and 206 and the Stafford Act (PL 923-288) may jeopardize or eliminate the jurisdiction’s or private nonprofit entity’s ability to receive assistance.

5. 7.6(5)  Forfeiture of assistance funding. Failure to provide timely and accurate damage assessment and impact statement information may jeopardize or eliminate an applicant’s ability to receive federal and state disaster assistance funds that may otherwise be available.

   State participation in funding of disaster financial assistance in a presidentially declared disaster is contingent upon the commission’s having on file a state-approved, comprehensive emergency plan that meets the standards as provided in paragraph 7.3(4)“d.”

Disaster-related expenditures and damages incurred by local governments, private nonprofit entities, individuals, and businesses may be reimbursable and covered under certain state and federal disaster assistance programs. Initial damage reports and preliminary damage assessments shall be provided to the department prior to the governor’s making a determination that the magnitude and impact are sufficient to warrant a request for a presidential disaster declaration or joint preliminary damage assessment.

[ARC 9271C, IAB 5/14/25, effective 6/18/25]