Landrieu: Sandy Will Require Swift, Muscular Response from Fed Gov't
Calls for prompt, detailed WH request; using lessons from Katrina, Rita for Sandy recovery
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., chair of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, today held a hearing to assess the federal response to Hurricane Sandy and the need for additional funding and sharper tools to support the recovery process. Sen. Landrieu heard from senators from Sandy-affected states, as well as U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate. Listen to highlights from Sen. Landrieu’s opening statement.
Sen. Landrieu has strongly advocated the need for Congress to pass disaster supplemental funding before the end of the year, not only for the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund – to prevent it from going into immediate needs financing, which stops recovery projects from past disasters and mitigation projects throughout the country – but also for other agencies that play a critical role in disaster recovery. As we move from the response phase of the disaster to the long-term recovery phase, it is critical that HUD, DOT, USDA, SBA disaster loans, the Economic Development Administration and the Corps of Engineers, which have either dwindling or entirely depleted disaster funds, receive supplemental appropriations before Congress adjourns. Sen. Landrieu called for the Administration to provide a detailed request this week so that Congress can evaluate those requests and act swiftly on a supplemental without offsets for the people of the East Coast.
“Just as our nation cannot abandon the strategic Mississippi River delta, which transports more tonnage than any port system in the western hemisphere, and produces one-fourth of the country's energy supply, we refuse to abandon the world's most important financial and commercial center,” Sen. Landrieu said. “Instead, we must improve the resiliency of our communities, environment, essential services, and vulnerable populations with smart planning and well-designed recovery tools.”
Sen. Landrieu particularly noted the need for increased investments in flood protection infrastructure throughout the country. The National Institute of Building Sciences issued a congressionally-mandated report that determined taxpayers save $4 for every $1 invested in smart mitigation measures. Yet the Corps of Engineers' new construction budget is only $1.6 billion for the entire country this year, despite a project backlog of $40 billion.
“Our government continues to dangerously underinvest in flood protection infrastructure, and U.S. communities and taxpayers are incurring exorbitant disaster assistance costs as a result of this dangerous practice,” Sen. Landrieu said. “We cannot retreat. Instead, we must embrace the notion that we can minimize disaster risks through preparedness and mitigation efforts, as long as they're backed by financial resources and political will.”
Sen. Landrieu also outlined six key reforms based on lessons learned from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to improve the speed, efficiency and flexibility of recovery after Sandy. Gulf Coast leaders successfully used these tools after the 2005 disasters, but they are not available under current law.
“Many of our existing laws simply do not meet the needs of the communities impacted by catastrophic disasters,” Sen. Landrieu said. “The Stafford Act, various ad hoc Community Development Block Grant authorities, and others present needless bureaucratic hurdles to disaster victims in their time of need. We learned this lesson painfully after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Unfortunately, the legislative solutions that we fought for were enacted in a form that limited their application to what is before us now. We should not repeat history.”
The specific reforms Sen. Landrieu is pushing for are:
- Flexible Disaster Recovery Grants for HUD to address housing, infrastructure, economic revitalization, community planning and other unmet needs.
- Streamlining FEMA Public Assistance by –
- Advancing funding on the basis of reliable estimates for damaged facilities and infrastructure.
- Eliminating the arbitrary penalty on alternate projects so communities can rebuild flexibly and strategically as opposed to restoring every facility to its pre-disaster condition in the exact same location.
- Authorizing global settlements for facilities that serve the same function, so communities can restore schools, medical clinics, police and fire stations, and water treatment facilities in a comprehensive and strategic manner.
- Establishing arbitration procedures to resolve disputes over project eligibility and cost that may otherwise drag on for years.
- Allowing families to use FEMA Individual Assistance funds for disaster-related child care expenses.
- Cost-effective temporary housing alternatives, like repairing rental units, that may address housing needs more quickly and cheaply than mobile homes and other traditional solutions.
- Leveraging mitigation opportunities earlier in the rebuilding process by advancing a portion of hazard mitigation grant funding to states so they can hire adequate staff to administer grants, update mitigation plans and formulate eligible projects, and
- Adjusting the $5 million cap on FEMA's Community Disaster Loans, which renders this program essentially useless to major cities facing reduced tax revenues and increased operating costs in the aftermath of the hurricane.
Photographs are available for publication:
- Sen. Landrieu, chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, holds a hearing assessing the federal response to Hurricane Sandy. During the hearing, she questioned senators from the affected states and also FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan: http://www.landrieu.senate.gov/files/images/2012_12_05_Sandy3.jpg
- Sen. Landrieu greets FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, who testified before the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee on the ongoing Hurricane Sandy recovery: http://www.landrieu.senate.gov/files/images/2012_12_05_Sandy1.jpg
- Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, whom President Obama appointed to oversee the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Sandy, and Sen. Landrieu talk after today’s hearing: http://www.landrieu.senate.gov/files/images/2012_12_05_Sandy2.jpg
CREDIT: Matthew D. R. Lehner, Office of Sen. Mary Landrieu
Audio actualities are available:
Read HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan’s opening statement
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