Iowa Governor Chet Culver toured the flood damage in northeastern Iowa Wednesday (7/28) and promised flood relief.

Culver has already declared 43 Iowa counties state disaster areas.

Now he's asking the Obama administration for federal assistance.

The governor toured the Maquoketa River valley today, including a stop around the hard hit Lake Delhi area.

But the governor couldn't offer promises to people hit hard by high water and the dam's failure Saturday (7/24).

During one stop, the governor praised efforts by the lake's recreation
association to address the debris problem.

The association hired private contractors to pick up debris from private roads and homes around the lake.

Because the damage is on private property and private roads, FEMA can't offer help yet.

But Culver said stepping in now and recruiting volunteers is the best step to address the problem.

The state hopes the damage assessment will be done by this weekend.

That's the first step for a federal disaster declaration and more federal
assistance.