(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with SWIPCO (the Southwest Iowa Planning Council), have announced the agency has secured $90 million in federal flood recovery funds through the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) CDBG Disaster Recovery programs for southwest Iowa communities. The funding, which comes from federal HUD dollars earmarked for disaster recovery, was granted by the Iowa Economic Development Authority as part of a competitive application process.

The funds from the grant are being used for property acquisition, new housing construction, and infrastructure development for new housing. Funds for new housing units, which are a combination of owner-occupied and rental properties, are available first for residents who experienced a loss due to the 2019 floods but will also be opened to low- and moderate-income buyers in affected communities.

The $90 million housing project represents the largest grant package SWIPCO has ever managed. “We’ve been very fortunate to work with our partners at IEDA and HUD to get the work done on behalf of our member communities,” said SWIPCO Community Development Director Alexsis Fleener, who worked on the grant applications. “We take a lot of pride in being able to deliver for our neighbors and help build our communities back up after such a devastating loss.”

Community leaders in southwest Iowa praised SWIPCO’s commitment to their recovery. “When we needed help with residential buyouts and new housing development after the 2019 flooding, SWIPCO was there for us every step of the way,” said Hamburg City Clerk Sheryl Owen. “It’s been a long few years but seeing the money flowing toward these projects sure helps.”

More than 100 housing units damaged in the 2019 floods have already been demolished as part of the grants, and more than 250 new housing units will be built in the impacted communities. As part of the development, more than $2.5 million in new infrastructure will be constructed to serve the new housing developments.

“There is no denying that the floods were a horrible disaster, but at the same time, these recovery funds represent the largest investment in new housing construction in these communities in at least a generation,” said SWIPCO Executive Director John McCurdy. Cities building new housing through the grants include Glenwood, Hamburg, Logan, Malvern, Missouri Valley, Modale, Tabor, and Woodbine. Construction will begin this summer and be completed over the next several years.