Governor Kim Reynolds has formally submitted a request for a major disaster declaration for communities and counties hit by last Monday’s devastating derecho.

In a news release, Reynolds said the State of Iowa will need nearly four BILLION dollars from its federal partners to fully recover from the storm. Reynolds said Iowans — from cities to farms — are hurting and many still have challenged with shelter, food and power. The paperwork submitted asks for federal assistance to individuals and business owners in 27 counties. Those counties include Grundy, Hardin, Jasper, MarshallPolk, Poweshiek, Story, and Tama.

She also asked for federal aid to help pay for debris removal and to repair or replace government-owned infrastructure that was damaged in 16 counties. Among those counties;  Jasper, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek, Story, and Tama Counties.

According to the governor’s office, aerial photos indicate nearly 83-hundred Iowa homes were damaged or destroyed. Just the cost of getting rid of debris from the derecho was estimated to be more than 21-and-a-half million dollars.