Political Quotes

“I rise today to introduce the Fire- Damaged Home Rebuilding Act. This legislation is simple. It allows families living in FEMA- designated flood plains to rebuild their home in the event it is destroyed by fire. The bill allows communities to waive requirements that were meant to block reconstruction after floods, but have been applied to block reconstruction of homes after fires and other natural disasters as well. I was first made aware of this issue by a constituent from Sacramento. Her home in the Natomas neighborhood burned down, and when she applied for a permit to rebuild it she was denied. The County informed her that FEMA floodplain regulations required her to elevate the home 20 feet above ground level because of existing deficiencies in the levee protecting her neighborhood. Can you imagine what that would look like? Every house in the neighborhood at ground level, and one home towering 20 feet above the rest? More importantly though, the cost would be exorbitant. And it would be imposed by the federal government on a family trying to get back on its feet after a personal tragedy. When the home burned down, the family collected $71,000 from their insurance company. Contractors estimated the cost to restore the home to its original condition was $170,000--a significant burden, but one the family was willing to bear. But when the family factored in the cost of elevating their home 20 feet, the cost skyrocketed.…”