Washington County is one of several counties included in a disaster declaration announced on Tuesday following last week’s severe weather.

Governor Kim Reynolds that Washington, Carroll, Crawford, Grundy, and Harrison counties would be included in this proclamation. As a result, the affected counties are now eligible to utilize state resources to respond to and recover from the effects of last week’s storms. It also allows the affected counties to utilize the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and the Disaster Case Advocacy Program, allowing residents who have suffered damages as a result of the storm to apply for grant funding. Applications for the IIGAP are due by June 4th, 2026, while applications for the DCP are due by October 17th.

This is the second disaster declaration made for counties southwest Iowa in the last week. On April 15th, a proclamation was made for Henry, Buchanan, Clay, Palo Alto, Plymouth counties, also stemming from last week’s severe weather. The proclamation takes effect immediately and lasts for 30 days unless terminated or extended.

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down near West Chester on Friday with max winds of 100-105 miles per hour along its 6.2 mile path.