Holcomb requests federal assistance for 9 additional Indiana counties following a tornado outbreak

Indianapolis, Indiana – In the wake of the tornado outbreak on March 31, Governor Eric Holcomb urged the federal government to include nine additional Indiana counties in his request for disaster assistance.

Johnson, Morgan, and Sullivan counties were included in Holcomb’s original proposal. He also requested the addition of the counties of Allen, Benton, Clinton, Grant, Howard, Lake, Monroe, Owen, and White.

Holcomb is requesting that FEMA declare a major disaster in those areas after tornadoes, powerful winds, and flooding wreaked havoc. Because the state had not yet completed a “complete accounting” of the effects the extreme weather had on several Indiana municipalities, the initial request was limited to the original three counties.

Holcomb stated that more data from assessments between April 2 and April 11 had been gathered, leading to his supplemental request on April 14.

In his letter, the governor stated that he planned to issue a third executive order soon that would declare a state of emergency in at least one more county. Such statements were already made by him in the counties of Benton, Johnson, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Sullivan, and White.