MEDIA ADVISORY February 17, 2009

Contact Howard Marlowe: (202) 775-1796

ASBPA ASKS FOR COASTAL DISASTER RELIEF IN AID PACKAGE

The American Shore & Beach Preservation Association has called on Congress to include disaster relief for coastal communities in the aid package requested by the President this week. The White House has asked Congress to appropriate an additional $1.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2010 supplemental funding for FEMA disaster relief. FEMA, however, provides no assistance to coastal communities who have Federal coastal storm damage reduction projects. Disaster relief for those communities is the responsibility of the Army Corps of Engineers. However, Congress did not provide the Corps with any disaster relief funding in the current fiscal year.

According to a statement released by Mayor Harry Simmons of Caswell Beach, NC, the President of ASBPA, “The damage done to coastal communities by Ida, nor‘easters and other severe storms in November and December and again in January and February is significant. For just the projects funded through the Corps of Engineers, the repair cost exceeds $250 million from Louisiana to New York.

“The communities in these states have had their coastal protection compromised. Beach dunes have been reduced or lost in many areas, leaving the people, infrastructure, and environmental resources of these regions at risk from one or more additional winter storms. Some navigation channels have been filled with sand, making commercial and recreational boat traffic unsafe if not impossible. Many of these water resource projects had been compromised prior to the storms due to limited congressional funding."

“The Corps has the authority – but not the funds – to repair these Federal coastal projects to their pre-storm condition. However, there is no post-disaster money in the Corps’ FY 2010 budget and these projects are not eligible for FEMA assistance. Only Congress can provide the Corps with the funds and direction to repair the damages it has already calculated."

“We call on the House and Senate appropriations committees to add at least $250 million to the President $1.5 billion request for emergency disaster relief. This is the time for this Administration and Congress to demonstrate pro-active coastal stewardship. The relatively small amount of money we have requested can prevent a much larger coastal catastrophe that will cost taxpayers even more in post-disaster relief."

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ABOUT ASBPA: Founded in 1926, the ASBPA promotes the integration of science, policies and actions that maintain, protect and enhance the coasts of America. For more information on ASBPA, go to www.asbpa.org, facebook or www.twitter.com/asbpa.