President Joe Biden on Wednesday issued a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Webster County and 24 other counties to help them recover from the storm that spawned a record 61 tornadoes in Iowa. Eight of those twisters touched down in Webster County.

The declaration provides financial assistance for public and nonprofit entities only. Damage to private property isn’t covered.

Qualifying damages in Webster County total just over $1 million, according to Dylan Hagen, the county’s emergency management coordinator. He said downed utility poles and wires belonging to electric cooperatives account for much of that total.

”That was the majority of the damage,” he said.

He said the cities of Dayton and Gowrie can receive reimbursement for running generators that provided electricity to those communities after electric lines were torn down by the storm. He said Gowrie is eligible for $40,000.

The cooperatives and cities will have to apply to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get the money.

Other area counties included in the Presidential Major Disaster Declaration are Buena Vista, Calhoun, Greene, Hamilton, Humboldt, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Sac and Wright.

The storm hit the Fort Dodge area at about 6 p.m. Dec. 15, 2021. In addition to the eight tornados, it packed wind gusts of up to 80 mph.

Thousands of homes and businesses were left without electricity. Several buildings in rural areas of the county were destroyed. No one was injured or killed.