President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for 21 Indiana counties battered by mid-August storms and historic flooding, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun announced Tuesday night.
The declaration unlocks millions of dollars in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) aid for households and, in 11 of those counties, for local governments rebuilding roads, water systems, and other public infrastructure.
The declaration covers damage from severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding that began Aug. 11, when a derecho, a fast-moving windstorm packing hurricane-force straight-line gusts, tore across northern and central Indiana and triggered days of extreme rainfall.
Braun formally submitted the expedited request on the evening of Aug. 20, according to the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS), the state agency coordinating storm response.
Trump signed the declaration Tuesday, less than a week later.
“Thank you, President Trump. This critical support will help Hoosiers recovering from historic storms and flooding,” Braun said in a statement released by his office.
Individual assistance, which covers uninsured losses at primary residences and can include grants for temporary housing, home repairs, and other essentials, is available in Carroll, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Lake, LaPorte, Madison, Marion, Morgan, Porter, Pulaski, Randolph, Rush, Tipton, Union, and Wayne counties.
Public assistance for emergency work and infrastructure repair is available in Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Hamilton, Henry, Lake, LaPorte, Madison, Porter, Tipton, and Wayne counties.
FEMA named Darrin C. Ricketts the federal coordinating officer for the recovery.
Tuesday’s action builds on an earlier federal step.
Trump approved an emergency declaration for Indiana on Aug. 15, authorizing FEMA to provide direct federal support in 53 counties. That authority is narrower than a major disaster declaration, which opens the door to reimbursement grants for households and local governments rather than only in-kind federal help.
State officials have tied at least seven deaths to the storm system in Delaware, Henry, Jennings, Lake, LaPorte, and Porter counties, according to an update from IDHS. More than 1,000 residents were displaced, and peak power outages knocked out service to hundreds of thousands of customers, concentrated in the state’s northwest corner.
The federal action lands as the Trump administration continues a broader review of FEMA’s role.
The administration has approved more than 70 major disaster declarations during Trump’s second term and denied more than two dozen, according to an Associated Press analysis of FEMA data.
Indiana’s request drew unified support from the state’s congressional delegation, including its two House Democrats, in a letter urging Trump to approve the declaration.
Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said he had spoken with Trump by phone the day before the approval, thanked the president in a post on X, called the approval “swift,” and said it would let families “apply for much-needed federal assistance as they seek to rebuild.”
IDHS and FEMA are scheduled to hold a joint briefing Wednesday on next steps, including how residents can apply.
Officials are directing storm victims to file insurance claims first, then seek FEMA aid at disasterassistance.gov, by calling 800-621-3362, or through the FEMA app.