A week after an unforeseen storm devastated Iowa, President Donald Trump attended a roundtable discussion in Cedar Rapids where he questioned local officials about the magnitude of last Monday’s derecho.

“Has this ever happened, a thing like this?” Trump repeatedly asked officials.

“Not to this extent have we experienced anything close to this,” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds responded.

Inside a hangar at the Cedar Rapids airport, Trump sat at the head of a u-shaped table as local officials shared stories of collective strength in the face of the storm, but also the compounding hardship that its destructive force created in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump started the discussion by reading from a list detailing the storm’s impact on Iowa: 43 percent of Iowa’s corn and soybean crops were damaged, as well as 332 cell towers. Nearly 500,000 residents in the state were without power and half of Iowa’s counties experienced some sort of storm damage.

Trump pointed out that he had approved a request for a federal major disaster declaration on Monday, less than 24 hours after Reynolds submitted the nearly $4 billion request.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Trump had only approved the public relief portion of the request that will help clear debris and fix public buildings and utilities, prompting Cedar Rapids Mayor Brad Hart to ask the president to sign off on the individual-assistance portion that would help cover damages to homes and farms.

Hart estimated that would help 55,000 homeowners and businesses in Cedar Rapids.

“So many people may have homeowners’ insurance, but there’s still a premium,” said Hart. “Insurance doesn’t cover removal of trees. That can be tens of thousands of dollars for lots of homeowners.”

Trump agreed on Tuesday to consider the individual-aid request, noting that Iowans were already dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s a double whammy,” Trump said. “We are going to look very seriously at the individual help.”

Reps. Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer, both Democrats, sent out statements criticizing Trump’s exclusion of individual aid and called on him to approve the full request. Finkenauer, whose district includes Cedar Rapids, was not at Tuesday’s event.

“While I am appreciative of the president’s quick action in approving public assistance for Iowa communities to cleanup and rebuild, I’m deeply disappointed he has not granted the state of Iowa’s full request for individual assistance, including assistance to individuals and homeowners,” Finkenauer said in a statement. “We must ensure no Iowan is left behind by this tragedy. I ask the president to rectify his omission immediately.”

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, used the opportunity to ask Trump to reject waiver requests from oil refineries that do not want to comply with the Renewable Fuel Standards that promote the use of ethanol. She said the reduced demand for ethanol due to COVID-19 has already been harmful for farms and the derecho makes it even worse.

She said Iowa farmers need the EPA to follow the intent of the RFS law, which Trump said he’ll work on.

“I’ll do it myself,” Trump said.

During his brief visit to Iowa, Trump did not leave the airport to view the storm damage before heading for Arizona. But the president emphasized that has visited Iowa several times, “got to know” the people and plans on helping the state.

“Iowans have always been resilient and strong and tough and great people,” Trump said.