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U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack
As soon as President Barack Obama places his signature on the Supplemental Appropriations Act passed by the U.S. House Tuesday night, Iowa can finally begin receiving millions in disaster aide.
A key component of the bill was $5.1 billion to replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund. The Iowa congressional delegation, led by 2nd District Democrat Dave Loebsack, had been pushing for the replenishing of the fund to be a national priority since March. Effective on Feb. 2, FEMA implemented a funding restriction on specific programs such as the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and several sections of the Public Assistance Program Categories in order to protect the fund from complete depletion.
Loebsack said that thanks to to this freeze, the state of Iowa is due a balance of over $480 million as of May, the highest of any state.
“While this action has taken too long, I am pleased that we have worked to replenish the fund and that Iowans are able to receive the funds that are owed to them,” said Loebsack, who represents the portion of the state hardest hit by 2008 flooding. He later added: “The recent flooding in Iowa highlights the need for Congress to act in a timely manner and without delays. In order to aid our disaster stricken communities, we must ensure them that help is on the way and get our state the funds it is owed as quickly as possible.”
U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, a Democrat representing the 1st District, was on the ground Monday to tour dozen of flood-impacted sites in his portion of the state. He is quick to point out that the emergency funding for the program is not only needed to pay for existing recovery needs, but to help communities recently struck by disaster.
“Without this funding, the federal government’s ability to respond to this disaster, and others like it across the country, would be severely limited,” Braley said. “Rebuilding the homes, small businesses and community centers that have been devastated is a process that takes years, not weeks or even months. But these funds are a critical step to give Iowans the security they need to know their government will not leave them behind.”
In conjunction with his tour on Monday, Braley unveiled a new disaster relief website that will be updated in real time as information about flood recovery assistance becomes available.
Without the supplemental funding, FEMA estimated that the fund would have been exhausted before September, and that the agency would be unable to pay claims for either old or new federally-designated disasters.
In addition to replenishing the fund, the bill includes a provision that directs FEMA to create an interagency taskforce between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Office of Management and Budget to track, address and, where possible, resolve concerns stemming from the agency’s flood map modernization project. The provision establishes quarterly reporting requirements to relevant congressional committees.
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