(Radio Iowa) – Federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance is now available to those who live in Osceola and Pottawattamie Counties. Iowa Workforce Development director Beth Townsend says you should see if you qualify. “We want anybody whose job has been affected to apply for benefits,” she says. Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickenson, Emmet, Humboldt, Lyon, O’Brien, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Sioux, and Woodbury Counties had already been approved for the disaster relief.

“We get these disaster areas and the president issues a proclamation for that area, what that means for the state of Iowa is that those disaster related unemployment claims are paid by the federal government,” Townsend says. She says the source of the money isn’t the most important issue.

“That doesn’t matter to the to the regular you know Joe on the street who just wants to get his benefits so we encourage anybody who has any questions to contact us,” she says. You will need your Social Security Number and the name and address of your last employer or prospective employer to file for disaster assistance.