HARRISBURG - As emergency officials grapple with the aftermath of massive flooding in the Susquehanna River Basin, state lawmakers are giving new scrutiny to proposals to create a standing state disaster relief fund for situations in which federal aid isn't available.
The contrast between dealing with the current disaster and planning for future ones was evident Tuesday. Glenn Cannon, director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), outlined the ongoing disaster relief response to Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Irene while suggesting that discussions have already taken place about the need for a state disaster fund and special "surge" outlays to pay the costs for early deployment of Pennsylvania Army National Guard troops and other personnel.
"These two issues have been on the radar screen," Cannon said during a joint hearing by Senate and House committees with oversight over emergency preparedness.
Addressing immediate needs first, Cannon said temporary housing for homeless flood victims in Northeast Pennsylvania is in the works. He added that there is a shortage of housing in Bradford County because of natural gas drillers. Specific locations for the temporary housing is still being determined, said PEMA spokesman Corey Angell.
About 25 mobile units will move this week from a staging area in Harrisburg to assist individuals mainly in the hard-hit flood zone of the Northeast, said Cannon. He said that another federal housing program will be tapped to relocate the last 114 individuals staying at emergency shelters mainly in the Northeast. "They've been there too long," said Cannon.
The transition shelter assistance program will help those individuals rent from landlords or stay at motels or hotels.
$130 million in damages
So far, Pennsylvania has documented about $130 million of damages to public works based on assessments of one-third of the affected counties included in presidential major disaster declaration that opens the federal aid pipeline, said Cannon. More than $59 million has been approved in federal disaster assistance for individuals, he added. These sums are well above the $16.5 million damage threshold that Pennsylvania needs to meet for a single disaster in order to get federal aid, he said.
The issues facing lawmakers are how to structure a state fund, determine eligibility and assure that the money is properly spent, said Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee.
"Proposals to eliminate the state store system typically call for the elimination of the Johnstown Flood Tax," Baker said. "Instead perhaps this tax can be redirected toward financing a state disaster assistance fund. Or, as an alternative, Gov. Corbett recently indicated that unallocated funds in this year's budget could be directed to disaster relief."