Governor Chet Culver’s going to Washington, D.C. this week to make a pitch for more federal flood relief. “To work with our congressional delegation, to touch base with administration officials and buy-outs will be a part of the discussion,” Culver says.
“We have to figure out how much financial assistance we’re going to get from the federal government for things like buy-out before we know how many homes will be eligible and to what extent.”
The governor says this year’s flooding has been a sort of “wake up call” about the need to maintain levees. But Culver says there’s also a need to pay attention to where the flooding occurred in June and determine whether it’s likely to soon encroach on the same land.
“We have to really factor in the potential of this type of event reoccurring and we don’t want to put people in harm’s way,” Culver says. “…Mitigation will be a big part of our rebuilding discussion and planning. I think we have to be very smart.” Culver says now is a critical time in Washington as congress rushes to complete work on a host of spending packages before the scheduled August recess. Culver made his comments during an appearance on Iowa Public Television.