President Trump is due to visit Cedar Rapids today and Governor Reynolds says it will give the president a better idea of the impact last week’s derecho has had on the state.

Yesterday , the President Trump signed off on federal help to cover storm-related expenses for the state and local governments in 16 counties. Trump tweeted yesterday that he had approved the “FULL emergency declaration for the Great State of Iowa,” but the president has not yet approved federal disaster assistance to individuals. A spokesman for Governor Reynolds says that will happen “soon” after more data is gathered about damage to homes and businesses. Reynolds thanked federal officials for the “expedited approval” of the paperwork she submitted Sunday.

The governor did not mention during the news conference that part of her disaster aid request was still pending. Her staff confirmed it later. We shall see if the process plays out like it did two years ago after the tornado, where the request for individual aid was initially rejected and did not change after the Governor appealed the decision.