President Bush Tours Flooded Iowa, Dispensing Empathy

"I really again want to congratulate the local folks here for really showing great compassion and working hard and hugging people and giving people hope," the president said during his three-hour tour of the state.

President George W. Bush hugs a Red Cross worker in Coralville, Iowa. June 19, 2008. (Photo by Joe Hansen courtesy American Red Cross)

Bush assured Iowans that the concerns of the small towns washed out by floodwaters will not be forgotten. "As we worry about Cedar Rapids we also got to worry about the little towns," he said. "A lot of folks are wondering whether or not the government hears about them, too, and I can assure you that I know the governor cares deeply about it, and so do we."

Bush gave no specific dollar figure for flood relief but mentioned that Congress is passing a supplement to an Iraq war funding bill "and a chunk of that supplemental will be disaster relief money."

About $2.65 billion for flood recovery assistance across the Midwest is attached to a supplemental spending bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday night and expected to be quickly passed by the Senate early next week.

Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, OMB, Jim Nussle said there is $4 billion in the government disaster account now, enough to fund this current disaster although there is no firm estimate of how much the flood response and recovery will cost, he said. The supplemental is to replenish the disaster accounts to be ready for future disasters.

In Iowa City, the president said he wants to ensure that all levels of government - from the smallest communities to the giant federal bureaucracy - work together to speed recovery.

"I brought a lot of federal officials with me because it's really important that as the rebuilding phase begins, there's a coordinated effort between the federal government and the state and the local governments. And Michael Chertoff is going to be handling the coordinating effort with the Governor. And the Governor will make sure that the affected communities are represented, as well.

Traveling with the president were OMB Director Nussle, a fellow Iowan; Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff; Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator David Paulison; Secretary of Agriculture, Ed Schafer; and Lieutenant General Robert Van Antwerp, who is the Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

President George Bush addresses the media in the Linn County Emergency Operations Center, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Behind him, left, is Iowa Governor Chester Culver and FEMA Administrator David Paulison, right. (Photo by Barry Bahler courtesy FEMA)

"The devastating effects of these floods can be seen throughout Iowa," said Loebsack. "By working together bipartisanly, our delegation has successfully secured the funding necessary for residents and businesses to begin the recovery process."

Harkin said the Senate "will get it done" when the funding measure comes to the Senate floor next week.

On May 25 tornados and record rainfall struck the Midwest and continued for some period of time, which resulted in severe flooding throughout 10 states in the Midwest. The president has declared major disaster areas for Iowa beginning on May 27; he declared a disaster in Indiana on June 8; and in Wisconsin on June 14. These declarations make federal funding and other resources available to flood-affected communities and individuals.

Twenty-four people have lost their lives in the storms and flooding and an estimated 100 others have been injured. At least 35,000 people have been forced to evacuate, but Paulison said that currently there are only 600 people in shelters across all three states.

Meanwhile, this morning, the Mississippi River breached more than a dozen levees in Missouri, flooding farmland and forcing hundreds of residents out of their homes.

Roads across Iowa are washed out like this one north of the Cedar River. (Photo courtesy Iowa Dept. of Transportation)

The extent of damage to Iowa and to the other Midwestern states is still unknown, but water levels have surpassed the previous records set by the 1993 flooding, which resulted in billions of dollars of damage.

In some areas, such as the Cedar and Iowa Rivers, which have experienced 500-year floods, water levels are not expected to drop below flood levels for another week, if not longer.

Damages to affected communities include loss of power, water and waste water treatment, emergency communications, sanitary and storm sewer destruction and serious damages to public infrastructure including miles of roadway, bridges, culverts, and governmental buildings. Untold numbers of homes and businesses have also been damaged.

Downtown areas in Des Moines, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Mason City, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Coralville, other communities, and small towns have been devastated, resulting in physical and economic ruin.

FEMA Administrator Paulison said Thursday that his agency has learned from its mistakes in handling the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. "We're trying to change the culture of the organization and not have FEMA be so reactive, but more proactive," he said.

"Right now we have 28,000 people have already registered for FEMA assistance," Paulison said. "Our call centers are open 24/7. And if you remember Katrina, it was three, four, and five hours before people could get through. The answer time now is 12 seconds and we're answering 99.7 percent of the calls."

Bottled water is distributed to flood victims in Iowa. (Photo courtesy American Red Cross)

At least 200,000 Meals Ready to Eat and 146 generators have been delivered, along with 50 miles of plastic sheeting to go on the levees under the sandbags.

FEMA has deployed 23 mobile mobile disaster recovery centers and has seven more on the way to help people get registered, "so if they can't necessarily travel to where the state's disaster recovery centers are, we can go out to where they are," Paulison said. "Another lesson we learned in Katrina."

In Missouri, where the flooding has just begun, FEMA has already delivered 180,000 liters of water, 21,000 Meals Ready to Eat, and two million sandbags.

Paulison said that he is now turning his attention to the next big issue - providing housing for those displaced by the floods.

FEMA is putting together a housing task force in every state that will include the Small Business Association, the Housing and Urban Development Agency, HUD, the American Red Cross, the USDA, Homeland Security, Veterans Administration, and the Army Corps of Engineers. "We're going to involve faith-based organizations in that, and also the private sector to help us with the housing," Paulison said.

"There will be two different housing pieces," he explained. "One of them will be at the state level, the state will run, that FEMA will drive; and the second piece will be a national one, run by FEMA and HUD to oversee the whole thing to make sure we're getting all the supplies we need and all the housing we need.

"So we're going to work at the state level to find out what the requirements are, and then start filling those requirements with whatever housing the states may particularly want," the FEMA director said. "We're going to be looking at apartments, hotels, motels, rental houses, things like that first. And then if the states ask for it, then we can look at mobile homes, but right now they have not asked for them yet."

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.