Record rainfall hit Southern Indiana in early August

Back on August 4, the metro Louisville, KY area was hit with record rainfall that caused massive flooding in the areas of Jeffersonville, Clarksville and New Albany. The National Weather Service recorded the heaviest one hour downpour totals in history as between 6.5 and 7 inches hit the area.

After the Indiana Department of Homeland Security surveyed the damage, Governor Mitch Daniels requested assistance from FEMA on September 10. FEMA has now denied Gov. Daniels request and the local politicians aren't happy.

"I'm very disappointed," New Albany Mayor Doug England said. "It's not right. Our citizens pay taxes. We believed we qualified for assistance, and the governor said we did. That's a shame that the federal government disagrees."

US Rep. Baron Hill was also disappointed. "Every day I am getting more and more calls from constituents and public officials about the damage that was done to Southern Indiana communities during and after the severe storms in early August," Hill said. "These calls only reaffirm that I believe FEMA should reconsider its decision."

Terry Herthel of the Floyd County Emergency Management said that they are $1.5 million short for public assistance statewide. To qualify for state help Herthel says there needs to be 25 homes with major damage or destroyed. They looked at 76 houses that suffered damage but did not come close to finding 25 with major damage according to Terry.

All this begs the question, after FEMA badly botched the Katrina relief efforts in 2005, why would anyone want their help? First off it took FEMA a week to get there and begin relief efforts. Then instead of helping they got in the way of all the private companies offering help and turned many of them away. Governor Daniels and Rep. Hill should be glad they did not recieve FEMA assistance and all the ridiculous stipulations that would have come with it.

Instead private organizations such as Red Cross and Walmart and Home Depot will probably rush to help if asked. We saw it in New Orleans and they will surely come to the aid of those affected by the August floods. This is the most charitable nation on earth, the private citizens will gladly come to the aid of those affected and gladly help out anyway they can. Call United Way Governor, call Red Cross, call local Walmart and Home Depot stores, you will get more help from these organizations then you will ever get from FEMA.

Just as the lesson of 9/11should never be forgotten, the lesson of Hurricane Katrina should never be forgotten. The lesson of Hurricane Katrina is that private organizations and charities can help out in disaster situations far better than a federal bureaucracy can. Jimmy Carter and Habitat For Humanity will probably gladly help out to rebuild homes.

Make the call Governor, you don't need FEMA.