On the recordJune 15, 2010
2 years ago, Iowa experienced the worst natural disaster in our State's history as a result of the great flood of 2008. We have made amazing progress, but 2 years later there is still damage in small and large communities like Oakville, Columbus Junction, Palo, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City. Many homeowners are struggling to recover still, and many small businesses have been unable to access relief programs because of red tape, all this on top of an economic downturn. Government-wide, we need to cut down on red tape and approve efficiency. I think we can all agree with that. With disaster relief, this is even more important because effective assistance is absolutely critical to communities' ability to recover. Communities are also trying to mitigate future flooding through a variety of structural and nonstructural means. I will continue to work with city leaders, homeowners, and businesses to ensure that we reduce inefficiency and the chances of another devastating flood like the one we experienced in Iowa 2 years ago.
