Right this moment, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) and each Democrat from Florida’s Congressional Delegation wrote President Biden thanking him for his Administration’s Complete-of-Authorities response to Hurricane Ian. On Friday, Florida Democrats voted for a seamless decision to fund the federal government that included $18.8 billion for the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) Catastrophe Reduction Fund (DRF). This federal funding will now instantly complement state, tribal, and native restoration efforts throughout the state, in addition to present funding for people in a number of of the hardest-hit counties.
The letter will be read here and under:
President Joseph R. Biden
The White Home
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
RE: Response to Hurricane Ian’s Impression on Florida
Pricey President Biden:
Thanks in your continued help as our house state of Florida ready for, weathered, and is now recovering from the devastating Class 4 Hurricane Ian. It was one of many largest storms to ever hit the USA, and it has had a catastrophic influence. Over 2.6 million folks misplaced energy; extreme flooding and record-high winds decimated houses, companies, and infrastructure; and over 80 people in Florida tragically misplaced their lives, a quantity that’s anticipated to climb as search and rescue efforts proceed. 230 Members of Congress, together with your complete Florida Democratic delegation, voted for a seamless decision final week that included practically $19 billion in federal catastrophe help, which is now flowing immediately to our communities. It is a lifeline for our neighbors, however the highway to restoration will likely be lengthy and we are going to want your continued partnership.
We admire your Administration’s whole-of-government response to this lethal catastrophe, together with your Main Catastrophe Declarations for the state of Florida (DR-4673-FL) on September 29th and the Seminole Tribe (DR-4675) on September 30th. These declarations have unlocked federal catastrophe help by the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) Catastrophe Reduction Fund (DRF), which is able to instantly complement state, tribal, and native restoration efforts throughout the state, in addition to present funding for people in a number of of the hardest-hit counties. Moreover, Secretary Becerra issued a public well being emergency declaration and a Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Providers (CMS) Part 1335 waiver on September 27th to assist the state deal with the well being impacts of Hurricane Ian and provides suppliers extra flexibility in assembly emergency well being wants. Lastly, the Small Enterprise Administration (SBA) made a catastrophe declaration on September 29th, making a number of disaster-related loans obtainable to our constituents.
As your companions in Congress, we have been proud to vote for the Persevering with Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 6833) on September 30th that you’ve got signed into regulation. This laws offered $18.8 billion that may be instantly despatched to our communities, in addition to the survivors of different declared disasters corresponding to Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico and the extreme flooding and landslides in Alaska. That is along with the roughly $10 billion that’s already within the DRF from earlier funding packages, which Florida can draw on as we reply to Hurricane Ian. Essential to our neighbors throughout the state, the laws additionally included $2 billion for the Division of Housing and City Improvement’s (HUD) Neighborhood Improvement Block Grant Catastrophe Restoration (CDBG-DR), which might go in direction of long-term housing, infrastructure, and financial restoration wants for areas impacted by a pure catastrophe in 2021 or 2022, together with Hurricane Ian.
Each storm offers new data and urgency to tell rebuilding in methods that may scale back future losses of life and property. We will already see that the early adoption of resilience-based land use selections and constructing codes helped scale back losses. It is going to be essential to use the most recent science, codes, and requirements to selections about find out how to rebuild, and to deploy funding shortly to speed up mitigation and a resilient restoration from this storm.
We’re grateful that you’re coming to go to Florida on Wednesday to personally assess the injury achieved by Hurricane Ian. Over the following a number of weeks, we are going to proceed to assemble data from native, state, and federal companions and officers to establish the best wants in our communities. We all know that your Administration will proceed to coordinate with us as soon as we’ve a fuller evaluation of the injury, together with the chance that the state will want further funding for restoration prices sooner or later.
Thanks once more in your robust help to Florida as we recuperate and rebuild from Hurricane Ian.
Sincerely,
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