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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release March 22, 1995

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

The President has made available $57.8 million in emergency funding to provide assistance to Georgia and Florida in recovering from the damage caused by Tropical Storm Alberto and subsequent flooding.

Public Law 103-327, the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1995, provided $180 million for the Community Development Block Grants program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The availability of these funds was made contingent upon the President submitting a budget request to the Congress and designating the entire amount requested as an emergency requirement. Of the $180 million, $122.2 million has been designated previously as an emergency requirement and made available. The remaining $57.8 million is now needed to assist Georgia and Florida in the repair and reconstruction of damaged houses and infrastructure, business recovery, and acquisition and relocation of damaged housing located in the flood plain. The funds to be distributed in Florida will be targeted to areas that have received Small Business Administration disaster declarations.

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