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<br /> <br />,~ <br />Photograph by Karen Elshout, St. Louis Post-Dispatch. <br /> <br />A Closer Look: <br />Mental Health Issues <br />In addition to posing serious <br />physical health risks, flood waters <br />can wreck havoc on a <br />community's mental health. <br />In 1993, it was a question of <br />survival. Two years later social <br />workers were seeing different <br />problems and asking different <br />questions. <br />"In 1993, we encouraged <br />people to make their own <br />choices," says Kathie Hahn, a <br />social worker with the Crider <br />Mental Health Center who <br />coordinated mental health ser. <br />vices to the four counties hardest <br />hit by the '93 flood. "Back then, <br />we were thinking of a 100. year <br />flood as a once in a lifetime event. <br />The 1995 flood was different, <br />says Hahn."We're definitely <br />telling people that these floods <br />can happen more often than any <br />of US would like. As mental <br />health workers, we would be silly <br />to encourage people to stay in the <br />floodplain. We're especially <br />concerned about the significant <br />risks to children who can be <br />traumatized by repeated disasters <br />like we've seen in the last few <br />years." <br /> <br />A Closer Look: Health and <br /> <br />Safety in Lincoln County <br />According to Lincoln County <br />engineer, Chuck Freidrichs, the <br />buyout saved his community thou- <br />sands of dollars in the 1995 flood- <br />in dumpsters alone. <br />"In 1993, we spent over $250,000 <br />just in dump sites for people to bring <br />their debris," says Freidrichs. <br />"Lincoln County doesn't have a <br />landfill, so it was an enormous <br />expense to provide this service to <br />flood victims. <br />"Things were different in 1995. <br />"We didn't have to spend any. <br />thing on dumpsters," says <br />Freidrichs, who also serves as <br />buyout coordinator for Lincoln <br />County. <br />Under the Missouri Buyout <br />Program, Lincoln County acquired <br />226 residential properties. <br />Freidrichs estimates at least 150 of <br />these properties would have flooded <br />again in 1995. The cost of <br />dumpsters would have been just the <br />beginning. <br />"We would have had overtime for <br />our police and fire departments," <br />says Freidrichs, "and thousands of <br />dollars in flood-fighting expenses. <br /> <br />"Fortunately, none of those costs <br />were incurred in the 1995 disaster, <br />thanks to timely implementation of <br />the Lincoln County buyout. <br />"We weren't even declared for <br />public assistance this year," says <br />Freidrichs. "Most of the hardest hit <br />properties were empty."FEMA's <br />public assistance program provides <br />reimbursement to local communities <br />for emergency flood.fighting <br />measures, debris removal and repair <br />of damaged public buildings and <br />infrastructure such as roads and <br />levees. <br /> <br />PUBLIC ASSISTANCE DOLLARS <br />SPENT IN LINCOLN COUNTY <br />1993: $1,572,723 <br />1995: $0 <br />INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE IN <br />LINCOLN COUNTY <br />(as of 7/14/95) <br />No Housing IFG <br />93 1,155$1,743.157 $1,495,931 <br />95 15 $4,319 $0 <br /> <br />SBA <br />$2,945,600 <br />$0 <br /> <br />Total federal' 93 flood costs to <br />individuals in Lincoln County was <br />$6,184,688. Add to that the public <br />assistance dollars which totaled <br />$1,572,723 for a IOtal federal outlay <br />of $7,757,411. The entire Lincoln <br />County buyout project was <br />$3,479,360 or a mere 45% of the <br />federal outlay in the '93 flood. <br /> <br />"The buyout is the only way to <br />meet the needs offload survivors, <br />taxpayers and the affected com- <br />munities. " <br />-Congressman Jim Talent <br />Missouri, 2nd District <br />