10.20.11

ND Senators Continue to Push for CDBG Disaster Relief

Conrad, Hoeven Press HUD Secretary for Emergency Assistance for Minot Flood Victims

Washington - Senators Kent Conrad and John Hoeven today urged U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to support additional Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for those impacted by this year's flood disaster in Minot.   HUD oversees the CDBG program.

 

"We have seen absolute devastation in Minot this year.  They need our help, and they need it now. We need to look at the CDBG program to as an effective, efficient and flexible tool for providing funding for disaster recovery," Senator Conrad told Secretary Donovan. 

 

“We’re working on funding to help Minot with both housing and flood protection,” Senator Hoeven said. “That includes funding assistance from a number of federal agencies, including Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funding through FEMA, funding assistance through the Corps, low interest loans from SBA, and CDBG funding through HUD.”

 

Conrad and Hoeven have been working with their Senate colleagues to provide HUD with supplemental CDBG funds to assist the states and communities impacted by disasters this year.  If additional CDBG funds are approved by Congress, Secretary Donovan will be responsible for allocating those funds to areas impacted by disasters this year.  In today's call, Senators Conrad and Hoeven stressed the need to make sure the recovery needs in North Dakota are met.

 

In North Dakota alone, the state has identified at least $235 million in needs for CDBG funds for buy-outs of hundreds of flood impacted properties, home repair assistance, and infrastructure for new housing and business developments. 

Secretary Donovan visited North Dakota last year and is well aware of the housing shortage due to the energy activity.  The Senators noted that this shortage was exacerbated by the flood in Minot, which impacted more than 4,100 homes.

Yesterday, Senators Conrad and Hoeven introduced legislation calling for an additional $600 million in emergency CDBG funding to help communities in North Dakota and across the nation recover from natural disasters this year. The Senators asked Secretary Donovan to support their amendment.

CDBG has been important in so many recoveries from devastating disasters because it allows communities and states to tailor the funds to meet their unique needs and to fill in the gaps where other programs are not able to fully respond.