DES MOINES (AP) - Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation are urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reconsider it’s decision that denied the City of Cedar Rapids funds to help temporarily relocate its main library.

Iowa Sens. Tom Harkin, a Democrat, and Chuck Grassley, a Republican, as well as 2nd District Rep. Dave Loebsack, a Democrat,
sent a letter Tuesday to Nancy Ward, FEMA acting director. In it, they request “due consideration” to an appeal filed by the city.

According to a news release from Harkin’s office, FEMA recently decided that the main library was not an “essential service.”

During flooding last summer, the first floor of the downtown Cedar Rapids library was submerged and more than 167,000 items were destroyed.

The release says estimates show it will take about 18 months to repair the damage.