Letter Calls on FEMA to Fulfill Commitments for Disaster Recovery

Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01) wrote to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate urging him to continue funding Iowa disaster recovery projects, after reports of funds being frozen and redirected to Hurricane Irene recovery.

"Iowa communities are still recovering from the 2008 flooding and tornadoes," said Rep. Braley.  "FEMA has committed to help these communities rebuild through offers of funds, and it is irresponsible to redirect those funds or stop work on projects.  Iowans should be able to trust FEMA's word, and that means FEMA needs to fulfill its commitments to the state."

The FEMA Disaster Relief Fund is strained from responding to numerous disasters this year, and projects from Hurricane Katrina and the 2008 Iowa floods continue to receive disaster recovery funds.  News reports have indicated that FEMA could require an additional $5.2 billion to cover costs for past disaster recovery funding efforts and for the remainder of FY2012.

A copy of the letter is pasted below and available here: http://go.usa.gov/0Ps

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Dear Administrator Fugate,

I appreciate your agency's efforts in responding to recent disasters in a timely manner.  I'm writing today with concerns over media reports in the wake of Hurricane Irene that funds obligated for past disaster recovery efforts are being delayed or repurposed to respond to this latest disaster.

I have great sympathy for the residents and communities on the East Coast who have been affected by Hurricane Irene and I am committed in my role as a U.S. Representative to ensuring that FEMA has the resources necessary to respond to all disasters.  At the same time, disaster recovery efforts are still under way in Iowa and the Midwest following devastating flooding and tornadoes in 2008.  FEMA has spent several years approving projects and providing funding support for disaster recovery efforts and we have seen numerous delays as part of the bureaucratic process and from funding shortfalls.

In light of the media reports, Iowans deserve an accounting and explanation of how FEMA is using funds committed to Iowa disaster recovery efforts to respond to this current disaster.  Specifically, please provide a detailed accounting of any funds committed or intended for Iowa which are now frozen, or being used for Irene recovery.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter, and I look forward to hearing from you within the next 10 business days.

Sincerely,

Bruce Braley

Member of Congress

Office of Congressman Bruce Braley (IA-01)

1727 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

(P) 202.225.2911

Moline, IL...Marc Ramirez has announced his candidacy for Rock Island County Coroner.  Ramirez served two tours in Iraq as an Army Medic. He announced on the 10th anniversary of his enlistment in the U.S. Army.

Wednesday, October 19th, 5-7pm

Rogalski Center, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, IA

Sponsored by the Amy Helpenstell Foundation, St. Ambrose Counseling Center, St. Ambrose Women's Studies Department, and Active Minds

The Quad Cities Eating Disorders Consortium is hosting author Harriet Brown at the Rogalski Center to speak on Body Image, Disordered Eating, and Eating Disorders on October 19th from 5-7pm, sponsored by the St. Ambrose Counseling Center, Active Minds team, and St. Ambrose Women's Studies department.

Harriet Brown is an eclectic and curiosity-driven writer and speaker whose work on subjects ranging from fat acceptance to forgiveness appears in the New York Times Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine, Health, Glamour, Vogue, and many other publications. Her radio essays can be heard on NPR's "All Things Considered" and "To the Best of Our Knowledge." A frequent contributor to the Tuesday New York Times science section, she specializes in speaking about issues that affect the lives of women and children. Her latest book, Brave Girl Eating: A Family's Struggle with Anorexia (William Morrow), recounts her family's efforts to help their oldest daughter recover from anorexia nervosa while .

Brown is also an assistant professor of magazine journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in Syracuse, New York, where she created Project BodyTalk, an audio project that collects commentaries about people's relationship to food, eating and their bodies.  This project will be one of the focuses for her talk on October 19th.

Brown is the editor of two anthologies (Feed Me! and Mr. Wrong) and several other nonfiction books, including The Good-Bye Window: A Year in the Life of a Day-Care Center.  She co-chairs Maudsley Parents, a website of resources for families struggling with eating disorders, and is a member of the Academy for Eating Disorders.

More information on Harriet and her work can be found at www.harrietbrown.com and www.projectbodytalk.com, and more information about local resources for Eating Disorders can be found at www.qceatingdisorders.com.

The fifth annual urban deer hunt will begin in Davenport on September 10, 2011 and continue through January 29th 2012. This year the special deer management zone will include all areas of three acres or more inside Davenport city limits. Landowner permission is required to hunt on private or public property. The only legal deer license recognized within the Davenport city limits will be a special deer management zone permit. The hunt will be coordinated by Parks and Recreation employee, Mike Reis, who can be contacted at: 563-320-2315.

The City of Davenport has created a special antlerless management zone, for the purpose of controlling the deer population within the City of Davenport. This zone will include all public and private property with a minimum of three acres or more, within Davenport City Limits. To legally hunt deer within this management zone, a special deer management tag must be obtained.

To participate in this deer management zone hunt each hunter must have completed a DNR Hunter Education Course. For information concerning the time and date of this course, please contact: B & B Shooting Supplies, 2152 State Street, Bettendorf, Iowa 52722, Phone: (563) 355-4867. A yearly proficiency test will be required to purchase a deer management zone tag.  This test will be offered through B & B Shooting Supplies.

Deer tags may be purchased from:

• B & B Shooting Supplies 2152 State Street, Bettendorf, Iowa 52722
• Farm and Fleet of Davenport 8535 Northwest Boulevard Davenport, Iowa
• Gander Mountain 3940 Elmore Avenue, Davenport, Iowa

Rules and regulations that apply to the Deer Hunt are as follows:

• To reduce arrow flight, it is mandatory that all shots are taken from an elevated position.
• Portable tree stands (provided by the hunter) may be used.
• Care must be taken to minimize damage to trees.
• Harvested animals must be removed intact from the site.
• Hunters agree to maintain a distance of 150 feet away from any occupied building, street, or paved trails.
• To maximize safety, hunters are encouraged to take shots of 75 feet or less.
• No baiting, driving, or stalking of deer is allowed.
• Hunters will observe all regulations of Iowa DNR as pertaining to deer bow hunting.

More information can be found at www.cityofdavenportiowa.com/parks.  Within 24 hours of harvest, hunters filling a special deer management tag must contact:

Hunt Coordinator:
Mike Reis
Parks & Recreation Department,
Red Hawk Golf Course
6364 Northwest Blvd
Phone: (563) 320-2315