Political Quotes

“Mr. President, a very disastrous thing happened 10 years ago in Iowa. The whims of Mother Nature tested the State of Iowa 10 summers ago when deadly tornadoes, storms, and floods caused more than $10 billion in damage to communities, homes, and businesses. It caused a lot of distress. National disasters test the mettle of humanity by every measure. Iowans were tested in 2008. Unfortunately, parts of Iowa, like Mason City, are experiencing flooding once again, almost 10 years to the day. Ten years ago, 88 of our 99 counties were declared a natural disaster. Epic floods and EF5 tornadoes ripped holes through the center of many neighborhoods. Thanks to civic leadership and thanks to bootstrap mentality, tireless volunteers and members of the National Guard answered the call to survive and thrive from the crisis. The rallying cry to rebuild and recover has driven a decades-long drive to restore and revitalize these Iowa communities hurt 10 years ago by these massive natural disasters. It was a tough row to hoe. Orchestrating the massive cleanup is one thing; paying for it is another. Congress, as we often do for natural disasters, approved nearly $800 million in Federal block grants within the first year to help homeowners with restoration and buyout efforts. However, the wheels of the Federal bureaucracy too often are painstakingly restrictive to navigate.…”