FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Officials started doing joint preliminary damage assessments in 29 Indiana counties today to evaluate damage caused by severe weather and flooding last month.

These damage assessments are a key part of the multi-step process to determine whether Indiana qualifies for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s public assistance program, which reimburses governments and certain non-profit organizations for eligible expenses.

The counties being evaluated include Adams, Allen, Benton, Brown, Clark, Decatur, Delaware, Fulton, Hendricks, Huntington, Jackson, Jasper, Jay, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Marion, Marshall, Miami, Montgomery, Morgan, Newton, Pulaski, Scott, Vermillion, Wabash, Warren, Washington, and Wells. Teams will include representatives from those counties, Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

If approved, the FEMA grants being sought will pay 75 percent of eligible expenses for damage to roads, bridges, utilities, buildings’ contents and equipment, water control facilities, parks and recreational facilities, and others, as well as debris removal and emergency protective measures like traffic control and rescue operations in the aforementioned counties.