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Seeking Fair Treatment for Iowa Flood Victims
Iowans who lost their homes and businesses in the Missouri River flooding this year deserve to be treated fairly. Yet so far this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has not granted Iowans access to the individual assistance program, even while approving such assistance for flood victims on the other side of the river. In August, I personally talked to FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate to urge that Iowa be approved for this assistance. I also have sent a formal request for FEMA to consider the appeal from Iowa Governor Terry Branstad for reconsideration, especially in light of the latest information about the magnitude and severity of the Missouri River flooding in Iowa. The President declared these counties major disaster areas in June. Anything less than equitable treatment for Iowa flood victims, compared to the kind of assistance given to flood victims elsewhere, is unacceptable.
In addition to flood recovery, my efforts continue for flood prevention and control. Next week I will testify before a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing reviewing the 2011 floods and the condition of the nation’s flood-control systems. Serious questions have been raised about the way the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has managed flows on the Missouri River. The Corps needs to fully account for its decisions of the last year, and the actions and proposals for the future management of the Missouri River need to be carefully examined to try to avoid a repeat of this kind of devastating flood in the future. I’m also meeting one-on-one next Tuesday afternoon with Brigadier General John McMahon, who is in charge of the Northwest Division of the Corps that handles the portion of the Missouri River in Iowa. The issue of when to evacuate water being held upstream in order to make room for next year’s runoff, while also allowing time this year for evaluation and repair of dams and water-logged levees downstream, is vitally important. It’s not possible to complete all of these repairs before winter sets in, so everything possible needs to be done to protect residents along the Missouri River from flooding again next year.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Iowans who lost their homes and businesses in the Missouri River flooding this year deserve to be treated fairly. Yet so far this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has not granted Iowans access to the individual assistance program, even while approving such assistance for flood victims on the other side of the river. In August, I personally talked to FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate to urge that Iowa be approved for this assistance. I also have sent a formal request for FEMA to consider the appeal from Iowa Governor Terry Branstad for reconsideration, especially in light of the latest information about the magnitude and severity of the Missouri River flooding in Iowa. The President declared these counties major disaster areas in June. Anything less than equitable treatment for Iowa flood victims, compared to the kind of assistance given to flood victims elsewhere, is unacceptable.
In addition to flood recovery, my efforts continue for flood prevention and control. Next week I will testify before a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing reviewing the 2011 floods and the condition of the nation’s flood-control systems. Serious questions have been raised about the way the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has managed flows on the Missouri River. The Corps needs to fully account for its decisions of the last year, and the actions and proposals for the future management of the Missouri River need to be carefully examined to try to avoid a repeat of this kind of devastating flood in the future. I’m also meeting one-on-one next Tuesday afternoon with Brigadier General John McMahon, who is in charge of the Northwest Division of the Corps that handles the portion of the Missouri River in Iowa. The issue of when to evacuate water being held upstream in order to make room for next year’s runoff, while also allowing time this year for evaluation and repair of dams and water-logged levees downstream, is vitally important. It’s not possible to complete all of these repairs before winter sets in, so everything possible needs to be done to protect residents along the Missouri River from flooding again next year.
Friday, October 14, 2011