Indiana Requests Major Disaster Declaration for February and March Floods

INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb has requested federal assistance for Hoosiers affected by historic flooding from Feb. 14 through March 4, 2018. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials conducted joint preliminary damage assessments in preparation for requesting a federal declaration.  

In a letter to President Donald J. Trump, Gov. Holcomb requested a disaster declaration for nine Indiana counties for individual assistance and 27 counties for public assistance. At the height of the flood emergency, 35 counties had declared local emergencies due to widespread flooding, although subsequent damage assessments of some counties were less extensive than first reported. In his letter, Gov. Holcomb noted “damage to homes, businesses, utilities and infrastructure across our state has been significant and, in many areas, catastrophic.” 

If approved, individual assistance programs could provide grants for temporary housing, home repairs and unlock other resources to help individuals and Hoosier business owners, including loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. If the public assistance portion of the request is approved, federal funds may reimburse state and local response agencies for qualifying activities, such as emergency protective measures, debris removal, road repairs and some personnel costs. 

More than 1,800 homes sustained flood damage—including 11 destroyed homes, 631 homes with major damage, 684 homes with minor damage and 539 homes affected by flooding. FEMA estimated individual damage to exceed $19 million, while assessments for the 27 counties eligible for public assistance noted approximately $14 million in damages. 

Carroll, Clark, Elkhart, Floyd, Harrison, Jefferson, Lake, Marshall and St. Joseph counties are included in the request for individual assistance. Benton, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Elkhart, Floyd, Fulton, Gibson, Harrison, Jasper, Jefferson, LaPorte, Marshall, Newton, Ohio, Perry, Porter, Spencer, St. Joseph, Starke, Switzerland, Vanderburgh, Vermillion, Wabash, Warren, Warrick and White counties are included in the request for public assistance. 

Gov. Holcomb’s letter to President Trump is linked here.