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<br />sightseers who stood along the river banks but off the highways to
<br />move to higher ground.
<br />
<br />Recovery Operations
<br />
<br />Numerous state agencies were actively involved in the recovery
<br />operations following the flood disaster, as reported previously herein.
<br />These included the State Highway Department, the National Guard, the
<br />Division of Civil Defense, the State Patrol, the Public Health Depart-
<br />ment, the Public Welfare Department, the Agriculture Department, the
<br />Savings and Loan Commissioner, the state Bank Commissioner, and the
<br />State Insurance Commissioner. The availability of the services pro-
<br />vided by these state agencies proved to be of great assistance to
<br />local officials and residents in the flood-ravaged areas. The mayor
<br />of Lamar pointed out, for example, that the city's contingency fund
<br />was budgeted only $3,000 and this sum could not begin to meet the
<br />expenditures needed following the floods. He informed the committee
<br />that it was a great asset to have these programs and people available
<br />to help the people and officials in Lamar in an emergency, and he
<br />felt that this was an important function of government.
<br />
<br />In addition to services provided by state agencies, various
<br />federal programs substantially aided those incurring losses from the
<br />floods. The two major programs in this respect are Public Law 875 for
<br />governmental entities and the Small Business Administration for busi-
<br />nesses and homeowners.
<br />
<br />The program under P.L. 875 provides an existing source of
<br />financial assistance for state and local governmental units followin?
<br />a major disaster. Under the provisions of the law, "'major disaster
<br />means any flood, drought, fire, hurricane, earthquake, storm, or other
<br />catastrophe in any part of the United States which, in the determina-
<br />tion of the President, is or threatens to be of sufficient severity
<br />and magnitude to warrant disaster assistance by the Federal Government
<br />to supplement the efforts and available resources of States and local
<br />governments in alleviating the damage, hardship, or suffering caused
<br />thereby, and respecting which the governor of any State (or the Board
<br />of Commissioners of the District of Columbia) in which such catastrophe
<br />may occur or threaten certifies the need for disaster assistance under
<br />this Act, and shall give assurance of expenditure of a reasonable amount
<br />of the funds of the government of such State, local governments therein,
<br />or other agencies, for the same or similar purposes with respect to
<br />such catastrophe." Thus, this program goes into operation as soon as
<br />the President concurs in a governor's proclamation that a specified
<br />area should be designated as a disaster area.
<br />
<br />A federal-state disaster assistance agreement is executed fol-
<br />lowing this concurrence, and all local governmental units within the
<br />designated disaster area are eligible for assistance under this program.
<br />In this respect, financi.al assistance is generally limited to protec-
<br />tive work and other work necessary for the preservation of life and
<br />property, for the temporary replacement of essential public facilities
<br />of local governments, and for temporary housing or emergency shelter.
<br />"Essential public facilities" include such things as roads, bridges,
<br />culverts, channels, dikes, levees, water and sewer facilities, schools,
<br />hospitals, penal and welfare institutions, police facilities, etc., but
<br />
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