Rep. Axne Announces $1,300,000 For Purchase of Flood Damaged Properties in Hamburg

Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) announced a new $1,355,388 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to fund the Private Property Buyout Program within the City of Hamburg in Fremont County.

The grant will fund the demolition of 70 residential homes that have become a threat to the safety of residents of Hamburg because of the major structural damage caused by last year’s flooding. This award will enable Iowa families, whose lives have continued to be impacted by the catastrophic flooding from last year, to move on with the next chapters of their lives. 

“Last year’s flooding devastated our rural communities and left the families with these properties in Fremont County inundated for a long time - crippling their ability to heal and get back to normal,” said Rep. Axne. “With this critical funding, we can give these Iowans a fresh start by buying out their damaged properties at their original value. I’m glad to see this additional assistance coming to help our families stay on the road to full recovery.”

After securing $3 billion for Midwest flood recovery in last year’s federal disaster bill, Rep. Axne has been tracking funding provided to Iowa to help rebuild from last year’s flooding with her Iowa Flood Funding Tracker.

With this new grant, the Tracker now accounts for $563.7 million in federal dollars spent in Iowa.

The purchase of the properties will help mitigate damage caused by recent flooding by demolishing or converting the properties to permanent open space.

Earlier this year, Rep. Axne announced a $2.7 million FEMA grant to fund similar buyouts for properties in rural Fremont County.