THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

        PRESIDENT SEEKS $2 BILLION FOR FLOODS, OTHER DISASTERS:
           ASKS THE CONGRESS TO APPROVE SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING

President Clinton asked the Congress today to provide nearly $2 billion in emergency funding to meet urgent needs created by recent natural disasters across the country -- including severe winter weather in the West, damaging tornadoes in the middle of the country, and this month's flooding in the Midwest.

The President's request comes after he, the Vice President, and other senior Administration officials visited hard-hit areas from this month's flooding and pledged a speedy Federal response.

The six agencies for which the President requests funds are the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, the Interior, and Transportation, the Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Specifically, the President requested:

• $541 million for FEMA to address emergency needs arising from the severe winter storms in the West and other areas.
• The President also proposed $438 million in contingent funding for FEMA, to be made available upon the President submitting a future budget request to the Congress to designate the amount requested as an emergency. The Federal Government is still assessing the damage from the recent tornadoes in Arkansas and the flooding in the Midwest and other areas, and this proposed contingency funding would enable FEMA to address emergency needs as they become known.
• $276 million for the Federal Highway Administration to repair highway damage resulting from the winter floods, along with $15 million in contingent funding for anticipated emergency requirements in the Midwest.
• $240.7 million for the Corps of Engineers, to be used largely to repair damaged levees and to dredge commercial navigation channels and harbors. The President requested an additional $30.5 million as an advance appropriation for 1998 to complete construction of an outlet at Devils Lake, North Dakota. In addition, $50 million in contingent funding is requested for the Corps of Engineers for potential spring flooding, as well as additional damage from the recent floods.
• $213.4 million for the Department of the Interior: $147.8 million for the National Park Service to repair and replace facilities at ten national parks, including Yosemite National Park; $34 million to repair damage to national wildlife refuges and other facilities operated by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS); $15 million to enable the FWS to acquire land and water rights on an emergency basis as a cost-effective alternative to floodplain levee and land repair; $10.8 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to fund repairs of damages on Indian reservations and to provide for emergency school operations; $5.7 million in transferred funds for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to repair damage to BLM lands and facilities; $4.5 million to enable the Bureau of Reclamation to repair damage to its property and structures; and, $1.3 million for the U.S. Geological Survey to cover necessary expenses related to equipment damage at hydrologic streamflow measurement stations.

          The President also requested $30 million in contingent 
          funding for the Department of the Interior.
                                                       
     o    $126.1 million for the Department of Agriculture:  
          $66.1 million for watershed and flood prevention 
          operations such as opening dangerously restricted 
          channels and waterways, repairing diversions and 
          levees, and controlling erosion; $38 million for the 
          Forest Service to repair damage caused by the winter 
          flooding; $20 million for cost-sharing assistance 
          to farmers and ranchers whose farmland was damaged; 
          $1 million for emergency loans or grants to repair 
          rural water and wastewater systems; and $1 million 
          for rural housing programs to support housing grants 
          and loans to eligible borrowers.

          The President requested an additional $35 million 
          in contingent funding for the Department of 
          Agriculture for emergency conservation and flood 
          prevention for anticipated spring flooding, as 
          well as additional damage resulting from the 
          recent disasters.

     o    $22.8 million for the Department of Commerce, 
          with which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
          Administration would repair damage to fish hatcheries 
          along the Columbia River and to restore other fish 
          habitats in the West.

          The President also requested $1.2 million, transferred 
          from another Department of Commerce account, for 
          the Economic Development Administration to provide 
          planning and technical assistance to communities for 
          long-term economic recovery.

     The Administration will continue to evaluate the need for 

additional resources as our response to the current disasters continues.

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