2/8/26: The Gazette: Opinion: Iowans need FEMA
Trump’s cuts will cost Lives and strain the state budget
The Gazette
Feb 8, 2026
Guest Column | Ben Smilowitz
In August 2020, a powerful derecho tore across Iowa with hurricane-force winds, flattening crops, ripping roofs off homes, and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of families. Iowa has since endured repeated federally declared disasters, including major floods, severe winter storms, and increasingly destructive tornado seasons, battering communities across the state.