DAVENPORT, Iowa — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is touring storm damage left behind in Scott County Wednesday after severe weather swept through the Midwest on Monday.
Gov. Reynolds says she's working with county and municipal entities to request a federal disaster declaration. She says it is critical Iowans are documenting the damage they're cleaning up to present their case. The federal declaration would unlock additional funding for clean-up and recovery efforts, including aid for small businesses.
"It's just really important that we're taking pictures and collecting what it looks like so we can accurately get that dollar amount," she explained Wednesday.
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Gov. Reynolds also reiterated her goal to have schools reopen this fall. She noted schools in Marion, Iowa experienced substantial damage from Monday's storm.
"We all believe we need to get out kids back in school," she says, "and that means in the building but we have to do it safely and responsibly. And that's what everyone collectively wants to do. And that's what we're working together to make that happen. and this just adds one more element to that goal."
The Davenport Police Department, mayor and some county officials joined Reynolds for a meeting to discuss the devastating damage left in the storm's wake. By 12:10 p.m. Wednesday, 47,120 people in the Quad Cities region were still without power, according to the MidAmerican Energy outage watch.