The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced the allocation of more than $2 billion in disaster recovery and mitigation funds to 10 states, including Iowa, for 15 natural disasters that occurred in 2020. Iowa’s portion of the funding, $56,940,000, was awarded for recovery and mitigation efforts for the derecho that hit Iowa on Aug. 10, 2020. The $2,040,617,000 in federal funds was appropriated in the continuing resolution bill signed by President Joe Biden on Sept. 30, the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act. “These disaster recovery and mitigation funds are essential to advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s climate and equity priorities by building long-term and inclusive resilience to the impacts of climate change, particularly for underserved and marginalized communities,” HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge said in a statement. “With these allocations, we are addressing climate justice in hard-hit communities that can now begin the process of building back better from disasters and improving long-term, equitable resilience to future impacts of climate change.” Equitable disaster recovery and resilience is a priority of HUD’s recently published climate action plan. The derecho, which has been described as the most catastrophic thunderstorm in U.S. history, caused an estimated $11 billion in damage across the Midwest, to include more than $800 million in crop losses in Iowa and more than 7.2 million trees lost.