Baron Hill-backed disaster legislation passes House (Courier-Journal)
INDIANAPOLIS – The U.S. House passed legislation Tuesday that could make it easier for communities to obtain federal emergency assistance when disasters strike along state borders.
The Multi-State Disaster Relief Act now moves to the Senate for consideration.
U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, D-9th District, has been pushing the legislation since the Federal Emergency Management Agency twice denied some aid to flood-ravaged Southern Indiana after storms nearly a year ago.
The Louisville area was hit by the same weather, but individuals and businesses there received assistance because Kentucky emergency officials were able to tally more damage than were Indiana officials.
Hill said FEMA treated the states’ requests as essentially two separate incidents and did not take into consideration the totality of damage in both states.
“We can try to be prepared for natural disasters, but they are ultimately beyond our control,” Hill said during a speech on the House floor about the bill. “However, we do have full control over how our federal government responds and aids individuals following a disaster. And, in this instance, I believe our government missed the mark.”
The legislation would require FEMA to take into account whether contiguous counties in a neighboring state were granted assistance following a major disaster caused by the same storm or other incident. The bill would also require FEMA to review and revise the regulations used to measure the severity and impact of a disaster when determining if individuals should receive assistance.
The provisions are not retroactive, however. So even if the bill becomes law, it won’t help victims of last year’s flooding.
FEMA's threshold for approving disaster aid is to have about 200 houses destroyed. But only 112 homes were destroyed in Southern Indiana after the Aug. 4 flooding, while Louisville — with much more concentrated housing — easily reached the 200 level.
“I believe if this law were in place last year, the result for my constituents would have been different,” Hill said in a statement Tuesday. “This legislation marks the first step to right a wrong that befell Hoosiers last year who, when trying to pick up the pieces after a natural disaster, were left wondering why their federal government was picking favorites.”