Cindy Axne: “This past winter, Iowa and the Midwest experienced record snowfall with freezing temperatures. The ground has remained…”

“This past winter, Iowa and the Midwest experienced record snowfall with freezing temperatures. The ground has remained frozen, which kept the snow from melting into our soil. And then the rapid warming over March 12 to March 14, along with heavy rains, resulted in mass flooding and devastation across Iowa, particularly in my district of southwest Iowa. The flooding has resulted in hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars in agricultural losses; destroyed homes, schools, small businesses, medical centers; and has caused significant damage to public infrastructure that is vital to these communities. Entire small towns, such as Hamburg in Fremont County and Pacific Junction, shown here, in Mills County, are under water and are facing irreparable damage. Communities are without sanitary water. The lasting effects on the health and well-being of Iowa families is beyond calculation, and the flooding is still ongoing. We have yet to have seen, probably, the worst of it. I am grateful that the President declared a disaster emergency declaration to support efforts to guarantee public safety and rapid recovery, but, given the impact of this flooding--and it was mainly in smaller rural communities--the assistance needed to ensure these communities can recover is dramatic, and I have requested the House Appropriations Committee to fund additional disaster supplemental support. ____________________”