Indiana August Storms: $146 Million in FEMA Individual Assistance Paid Across 24 Counties, Applications Close Oct. 25
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) has published recovery figures for the August storms, current as of Oct. 16. On Aug. 11, 2026, a thunderstorm system preliminarily classified by the Storm Prediction Center as a derecho crossed from Illinois into northwest and north-central Indiana during the morning and afternoon, producing extreme straight-line winds, at least two tornadoes, large hail and flash flooding. As the system moved into central Indiana it caused widespread power outages and extensive tree damage; some areas recorded 6 to 9 inches of rain, and from early Aug. 12 multiple rivers reached major flood stage, with road closures and localized evacuations. According to the IDHS page, seven disaster-related fatalities had occurred as of noon on Aug. 28, in Delaware County (two) and in Jennings, Lake, LaPorte, Henry and Porter counties, and outages peaked at more than 300,000, concentrated in Lake and Porter counties.
The federal major disaster declaration came in two steps. Gov. Mike Braun requested the declaration from President Donald J. Trump on the evening of Aug. 20, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved it on Aug. 25, with both Individual Assistance and Public Assistance authorized for an initial 21 counties: Carroll, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Lake, LaPorte, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Porter, Pulaski, Randolph, Rush, Tipton, Union and Wayne. On Sept. 25, Cass, Pike and Putnam counties were added, bringing the number of counties eligible for Individual Assistance to 24. Homeowners and renters in those counties with uninsured damage to a primary home, personal property loss or disaster-related emergency needs from the August storms, tornadoes and flooding may apply under Individual Assistance. The application deadline is Oct. 25, 2026, through DisasterAssistance.gov or by phone at 1-800-621-3362, and in-person assistance events are being held around the state.
As of Oct. 16, 2026, according to the figures published by IDHS, $146 million in FEMA Individual Assistance had been paid out or allocated, more than 34,700 applications had been approved for FEMA assistance, and the National Flood Insurance Program had paid out $23.1 million to policyholders. The same page lists two state-level programs: the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF), which is accepting individual assistance grant applications from residents whose primary home was affected by the Aug. 11 disaster, with Indiana 211 serving as the contact point; and temporary housing assistance from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), which includes hotel vouchers for stays of up to 60 days and rental assistance, with Oct. 19 as the last day to apply for the hotel voucher. Disaster Unemployment Assistance for workers in the initial 21 counties who lost jobs or had work interrupted by the disaster carries an Oct. 27 filing deadline, and the U.S. Small Business Administration's filing deadline for physical property damage loan applications is also Oct. 25, 2026.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 印第安纳州政府中心（州国土安全厅所在地，印第安纳波利斯）资料图。Photo by Deb Nystrom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
