Kenny Hulshof: “As a result of some severe flash flooding, two lives were lost, over 200 of my constituents were left homeless and…”

“As a result of some severe flash flooding, two lives were lost, over 200 of my constituents were left homeless and numerous businesses have suffered property damage. Recognizing the severity of these damages caused by the flooding, the President on May the 12 of this year designated three Missouri counties, Franklin County, Gasconade and Jefferson County as Federal disaster areas. Believing that a precedent had been set by Congress in their dealings with past disasters, the Mayor of the City of Washington, Missouri submitted to me a request for an appropriation that would permit their city to implement a flood buyout and relocation program. Though a specific line item was not used to secure relief for the victims of past floods, it is my understanding that a precedent was set by allowing money through the Housing and Urban Development's Community Development and Block Grants program to pay for buyouts, to pay for relocation and mitigation in communities in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.”