GREENFIELD, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is meeting with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials on Thursday in Greenfield following the deadly tornadoes that ripped through the state earlier this week.
The National Weather Service has preliminarily rated the Greenfield tornado that killed four as "at least" an EF-3 with further damage assessments pending.
"Please understand that as damage severity (and by virtue, [for] rating) increases, extreme care is taken to ensure assessments are accurate and thorough," the agency said.
A tornado in Corning killed a 46-year-old woman after her car was swept off a roadway and the NWS Des Moines office gave a preliminary EF-2 rating for a tornado that swept through Polk and Story County.
The governor has requested for a Presidential Disaster Declaration to be expedited related to Tuesday's storms, which also included widespread flooding. To read the request in full, click here.
If approved, residents of Adair, Polk, Story and Montgomery County could be eligible for the FEMA Individual Assistance Program or U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Loans.
"We did receive the request from the Governor just today for the expedited Major Disaster Declaration and we are working through that. We will process that as quickly as we can," FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said at a press conference Thursday.
Reynolds said 202 homes across the state were destroyed: 153 in Adair County, 26 in Polk County, 15 in Story County and eight in Montgomery County. And Donna Dubberke, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, added that the three tornadoes totaled a path of 130 miles.
Reynolds has already issued a Disaster Emergency Proclamation for the following counties:
- Adair
- Adams
- Black Hawk
- Buena Vista
- Butler
- Cass
- Calhoun
- Cedar
- Cerro Gordo
- Clay
- Clinton
- Dubuque
- Fayette
- Franklin
- Hancock
- Hardin
- Harrison
- Humboldt
- Iowa
- Jackson
- Jasper
- Johnson
- Keokuk
- Kossuth
- Marion
- Marshall
- Mills
- Montgomery
- Muscatine
- O'Brien
- Page
- Palo Alto
- Polk
- Pottawattamie
- Scott
- Shelby
- Story
- Tama
- Union
- Warren
- Washington
- Wright
The proclamation allows for grants up to $5,000 for qualifying individuals. Click here to read more about eligibility criteria and to apply for assistance.
The Associated Press contributed to this report