FEMA floats plan for state deductible

Arkansas disaster chief favors idea

A Federal Emergency Management Agency proposal that would offer states financial incentives to better mitigate for natural disasters has received the blessings of Arkansas' emergency director.

The plan calls for giving states disaster "deductibles" to meet based upon per capita damage costs before any federal money is disbursed as public assistance to repair roads, bridges and other public infrastructures. It's the result of Congress' urging of the agency to reduce federal spending on disasters.

The proposal does not include funding for individual assistance to help homeowners, renters and business owners with losses.

In Arkansas, damages must top $4.1 million before it is eligible to receive federal money now, said David Maxwell, director of the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.

If the agency does not implement a new plan, that threshold could eventually more than triple because federal money is running out, Maxwell said.

The director said he was told Arkansas could eventually see a $13 million damage cost threshold before the state is eligible for funds.

Parts of Arkansas have been declared federal disasters twice this year for flooding in the southwest and southeast. Damage from both disasters did not top $13 million, meaning the state would not have been eligible for federal funding had the thresholds been increased, Maxwell said.

Under the agency's proposal, the state could "buy down" that deductible by repairing levees, building public safe shelters and creating more disaster awareness programs, he said.

"Personally, I am for this," Maxwell said. "The threshold to get disaster funds could go lower if we implement certain things."

The proposal is in the early planning stages, FEMA administrators said. It would not go into effect for at least two to three years. Arizona emergency officials have offered an alternative proposal, and other states are expected to provide more input before a plan is developed, Maxwell said.

But while Maxwell said he favors the idea, others say the proposal will place more of an economic burden on local governments.

"Disaster assistance administrators at the state and local level are already overburdened, particularly in the aftermath of a major disaster," representatives of the National Governors Association said in a comment filed to FEMA about the proposal. The association called the system a "complex and time-consuming exercise."

Susan Gilson, director of the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies, criticized FEMA's proposal during a hearing last month.

"The disaster deductible will cause local communities to divert resources to meeting the documentation requirements at a time when the local community needs to be focusing its efforts on disaster recovery," she said.

Karen Blevins, coordinator of the Jefferson County Office of Emergency Management, said her county cannot afford the mitigation expenses and will be more financially burdened.

"We've had a huge decline in population," she said. "Our per capita damage expenses go up, but our population goes down. This is not going to be good for us."

Currently, Jefferson County is eligible for federal disaster relief funding if it sees $278,000 in damages.

"That may not be a lot for some counties, but if we can't get it, that's a huge hit to our county," Blevins said.

Congress has pressured FEMA to reduce spending on emergency aid. Presidential disaster declarations have increased from an average of 13 per year in the 1950s to 137 per year in the 2000s.

Maxwell said the rise in declarations may be due to increased populations on the Gulf Coast and in Florida -- two areas prone for damaging hurricanes and flooding.

"If [FEMA] simply raised the threshold, it would put burdens back on the state," Maxwell said. "The deductible is the best idea. The state disaster programs that we already operate are more than likely programs that can apply to reducing that deductible."

David Moore, director of the Craighead County Office of Emergency Services, said he supports the deductible plan if the state is credited adequately for mitigation efforts.

He said he hopes local officials can learn from last week's record flooding in Jonesboro that damaged about 70 homes when more than 6 inches of rain fell on the city in a short time. It was the second time in three months that homes in central Jonesboro were flooded.

"We can use this as a learning tool," Moore said. "We can see where our drainage problems are and attempt to repair that.

"If we can do preventive measures and prepare for disasters, I think it's a good idea," Moore said. "There's not a 100 percent guarantee that you can prevent things from happening, but you've got to try to move forward. Anything we can do to help is a better idea.

"We can't stop disasters like floods and tornadoes, but we can protect ourselves from them better."

Information for this article was contributed by Vera Bergengruen of the McClatchy Washington Bureau.

State Desk on 06/06/2016

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