CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The House of Delegates swiftly passed a bill to provide millions of dollars in funding for West Virginia’s flood cleanup and recovery costs.
Legislators passed the bill 92-1 Sunday evening, suspending rules requiring a bill to be read three straight days. Delegate Pat McGeehan, R-Hancock, was the only one to vote against it.
The bill now goes to the Senate, which will reconvene at 11 a.m. Monday.
“In my area I saw firsthand, but I saw it throughout the state in a number of areas – the devastation was hard to put into words,” Speaker Tim Armstead said while addressing fellow delegates.
Armstead continued, “The devastation has only been matched by the support that the people in my area, the people in Nicholas County, the people in Greenbrier County, have seen.”
Armstead’s own home was flooded so he wondered if he should participate in a vote. The answer he received was that he is a member of a class of people who were affected by June’s flooding, so he should vote like other members of the Legislature.
The state intends to dedicate $85 million to flood costs.
That’s a starting point. The ultimate goal is to get the federal government to pay a larger share of the estimated $339,760,963 costs related to June’s flooding.
If West Virginia meets the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s threshold of $253 million in disaster-related costs, FEMA would cover 90 percent, leaving the state responsible for the remaining 10 percent.
If approved by the White House, the 90/10 split would kick in once funds are obligated, including funds for school construction.
That means state officials have to go ahead with with allocating funding for 25 percent of the total cost, which is how the $85 million figure was reached.
“The 90/10 decision could be months,” Jessica Tice, spokeswoman for Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, said last week.
She added, “The ultimate goal is for the state to pay as little as possible.”
Of the state’s share, $9 million would come from what’s left of general revenue surplus (yes, there is some), $21 million from Lottery money and then $55 million from the Rainy Day fund.
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There’s also a more specific breakdown for where the total $339 million goes.
“This money will be going toward school rebuilding costs, toward public infrastructure and toward some of our other long-term recovery effort,” Tice said.
Here’s the full list:
- $88,763,765 for public assistance, which means paying for property damage and expenses incurred by local governments and non-profits
- $33,427,757 for individual assistance, which refers to people whose homes or rental properties suffered damage
- $6,460,441 for “other needs assistance,” which is kind of a hodgepodge category of more expenses related to individuals and households. It can include stuff like medical and dental expenses or burial costs
- $130,000,000 for schools, which will go to rebuild Herbert Hoover High School, Clendenin Elementary, Richwood High, Richwood Middle and Summersville Middle School
- $1,609,000 in “direct federal assistance,” mostly covering mobile home units
- $32,000,000 in stream cleanup performed by the West Virginia Conservation Agency
- $37,500,000 for “mitigation” to prevent any future dangers
- $10,000,000 in non-federal costs, another lumped together category of anything not covered by the federal government
“This is another step in a long process,” said Chris Stadelman, Tomblin’s chief of staff. “It is far from the end of the line.”
State leaders have also filed a separate request to the White House for an additional $310 million.
That money could be part of a congressional disaster relief funding package, also being pushed by Louisiana after that state’s’ devastating floods this summer. Louisiana is asking for $3 billion.
Officially, West Virginia’s second funding request would make it eligible for Community Development Block Grants for areas including housing, economic development, and infrastructure to support long-term, sustainable recovery and economic revitalization.
“What it guarantees is West Virginia’s seat at the table and being able to ask for grants,” Stadelman said.
The strategy would be to help hard-hit West Virginia communities not only get back on their feet but to diversify their economies. Projects could include rebuilding damaged water plants, rehabilitating homes and building public facilities, improving public services and supporting recovering businesses.
“We don’t want to go back to where we were before the flood,” Tice said. “Where do we want to be 10 years from now?”