http://www.hoeven.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=d29a1be1-78ef-403f-b40f-cf172a9f39fa

Press Release

Senator John Hoeven today hosted a roundtable in Fargo with Roy Wright, administrator for mitigation with the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). Hoeven organized the event to ensure that the agency's programs are working for state and local governments, and above all, residents. The senator is pushing to ensure that FEMA's flood maps adequately reflect how Fargo's permanent flood control project will protect homes in the flood plain.

Specifically, Hoeven reviewed the impacts of FEMA's new flood plain maps on insurance rates and the agency's future plans for remapping. Hoeven said residents need assurances that FEMA will work with them, so that programs such as hazard mitigation assistance and flood insurance can be as cost-effective as possible. The senator chairs the Appropriations Committee for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees a $40 billion budget, including the budget for FEMA.

"It is vital that we do all we can to protect our communities from flooding," Hoeven said. "That can only happen if our federal programs and policies meet our people's actual needs and are implemented in a way that is fair to North Dakota homeowners and businesses. We arranged today's meeting so that FEMA officials can hear straight from our state and local leaders about the progress we have made in mitigating flood risks in the Red River Valley, our plans for future protection and the difficulties we face in the way the agency currently runs some federal programs."

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