[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 39 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Pages 1838-1839]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Supplemental Disaster Assistance Funding for Victims of 
Hurricanes Fran and Hortense

September 21, 1996

    I have asked the Congress today for $291 million in supplemental 
funding for fiscal 1996 to help the victims of Hurricanes Fran and 
Hortense, bringing total Federal assistance in response to those 
hurricanes to over $1.5 billion.
    About half of the $1.5 billion will go to North Carolina, with the 
rest spread among South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, 
Puerto Rico, and perhaps other States. The Federal Government will pay 
$1.2 billion from existing funds, and I have requested that the Congress 
allocate the additional $291 million within congressional spending 
limits.
    Total Federal aid almost surely will exceed $1.5 billion, however. 
These figures do not include all of the expected claims that will come 
in against the Federal crop and flood insurance programs, both of which 
have written substantial numbers of policies in the affected States.
    I recently visited North Carolina, and I saw for myself the 
devastation brought by the two hurricanes as well as the related 
flooding. In addition, senior members of my administration have visited 
the region to learn more about the problems that the hurricanes have 
brought in such areas as agriculture, housing, and public power.
    The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other Federal 
agencies are doing what they can to help the victims. FEMA, for 
instance, has provided a full week of 100 percent financed, direct 
assistance in the form of equipment, supplies, and personnel to save 
lives and property, and it will continue to provide 100 percent 
financing for debris removal. It also has provided extensive individual 
and public assistance, helping tens of thousands of Americans. In 
addition, I have directed FEMA officials to continue to assess whether 
and when North Carolina will be eligible for 90/10 financing, that is, 
Federal financing of 90 percent of the costs, for eligible public 
assistance repair.
    Other Federal agencies that are providing assistance include the 
Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, 
and Housing and Urban Development; Small Business Administration; Army 
Corps of Engineers; Federal Highway Administration; General Services 
Administration; and Corporation for National and Community Service.
    But we can and must do more. The $291 million that I am requesting 
today includes funding for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, 
Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation as well as the Small 
Business Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers.
    Specifically, the request includes:
      Department of Agriculture, $40 million--$20 million for the 
      Emergency Conservation Program to help farmers and ranchers whose 
      farmland was damaged, and $20 million for the Watershed and Flood 
      Prevention to help communities reduce hazards to life and 
      property;
      Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, $18 
      million--to enhance and improve infrastructure, such as water and 
      sewer systems;
      Department of Housing and Urban Development, $110 million--$100 
      million for Community Planning and Development and $10 million for 
      the Flexible

[[Page 1839]]

      Subsidy Funds program, which provides capital funds for FHA-
      insured multifamily housing;
      Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration, $82 
      million--to repair damages and to help meet other anticipated 
      emergency relief needs in fiscal 1997;
      Small Business Administration's Disaster Loan Program, $22 
      million--to quickly service disaster loans in the affected States; 
      and
      Army Corps of Engineers, $18.8 million--for high-priority 
      emergency dredging and debris removal in critical waterways.
    I strongly urge the Congress to quickly approve this request for 
supplemental funding. Together, we can provide the assistance that our 
fellow Americans--the victims of these natural disasters--so desperately 
need.