FEMA Immediate-Needs Funding
Floor Speech
Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, our hearts go out to victims of recent floods and natural disasters, but I also fear that we suffer from the old adage, ``Out of sight, out of mind.'' Once the cameras are packed away and the news crews leave for their next breaking story, what happens to the victims and the survivors of our natural disasters?
You know, one would hope that the system of emergency response would keep on plugging away and assisting the families in need across this country. But sometimes, unfortunately, that system breaks down.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring the voices of my constituents in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, to the floor of the people's House.
In 2008, homes along the northern shore of Lake Koshkonong and the surrounding community were absolutely devastated by a record-setting flood. This was a 500-year flood that ravaged much of the Midwest and, in particular, Wisconsin and Iowa.
During that storm, I knew that the damage was going to be devastating and that many of the houses in our community would be beyond repair. But what I didn't know was that after nearly 2 years after the floods, our government would be leaving those hardworking Americans behind. You see, in February of this year, FEMA instituted what it calls ``immediate-needs funding.'' Basically, they are freezing already approved funds to folks in Wisconsin and in other disaster areas across the country.
A couple of weekends ago I had the chance to visit with the property owners who were affected from the district that I have the privilege of representing. These are survivors of the 2008 floods. I wanted to hear their stories. Many brought photos, letters, and all brought unique stories and anger and frustration.
I met first with Gene and Marie Harris at their home on Lamp Road, one of the most extensively damaged neighborhoods in this flood. The damage was so extensive that their house is absolutely uninhabitable, and has been since the flood. They showed me photos of before and during and after, and we talked about the tangle of bureaucratic red tape that they've waded through in order to get approved for FEMA money.
But they were approved for FEMA money, until the freeze took effect. When I asked Marie to recall what they went through back in June of 2008, not surprisingly, she welled up with tears.
I met with other families affected, a family who had four generations who lived in a property that is also beyond repair. He talked about the generations having put their heart and soul into remodeling.
I met with a young family who had several properties in the area. This young family, with two young sons, decided that, in order to plan for their retirement, rather than investing in a 401(k), they were going to buy a few bungalows along the lake shore and rent them out. After they paid off the mortgage, this would help with their retirement. So they bought five bungalows. Three out of the five were damaged in the flood beyond repair. The remaining two are reparable.
But what's happening, as they wait for those frozen funds, is that this family is having to pull out of their kids' college funds and money that they were saving for their retirement in order to pay mortgages, taxes on properties that are uninhabitable, and for which they are getting no rental income.
They brought when they met with me a letter that asks, and I'm only reading a part: but why freeze the funding now? We've been waiting almost 2 years, and during this time we must still pay taxes, mortgages, and mow what is left of our lawn. How much longer are we expected to keep paying and waiting with no more source of rental income?
Please, somebody, wake me up from this nightmare and tell me it's all a bad joke. Our government couldn't do something as unfair and cruel as this, could they? Do they think about the people whose lives they are destroying?
I know there are people who are a lot worse than us and suffering even more. But at least, at least we have another home to live in right now.
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