landward creating serious health hazards from wells and sewage systems, public facilities begin to break down, and current vector control may prove to be inadequate. With several more months of flooding ahead, public assistance by the Federal Government in the form of emergency response protective measures is imperative. To wait in the conventional sense to render public assistance after waters have receded may bring on an even more serious disaster in the form of an encephalitis epidemic, other health hazards or public facility collapse. On August 30, Governor Babbitt formally requested the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency implement federal public assistance immediately. (Copy of letter, Attachment 2.) A current summary of the emergency protective costs incurred by Arizona State and local governments is as follows: This does not include the property damage to public facilites, business or private individuals. It does not include economic impacts. A Flood Hazard Mitigation Report was prepared by the FEMA-Region IX Interagency Team, July 16, 1983. Governor Babbitt has directed the Department of Water Resources and Division of Emergency Services to review that report, coordinate with the appropriate local government officials and the private citizens of the three counties involved (Mohave, La Paz, and Yuma) and develop a State Hazard Mitigation Plan designed to promote a comprehensive approach to flood hazard mitigation for the disaster areas and in turn reduce the potential for future flood losses. That Plan will be completed and furnished to FEMA within 180 days of the Presidential declaration. Local county and city governments should be commended for their around-theclock efforts to minimize damages in the early stages of this disaster. Private citizens, as well, dedicated long hours and resources toward this effort. Attachments The Federal Emergency Management Agency-San Francisco has advised me that Arizona's request for public assistance for the Colorado River Flooding Emergency, FEMA 686-DR, is not warranted at this time and that after the water has receded a survey and assessment will be made to determine whether Federal public assistance is warranted. While we agree that inspection of damages in the conventional sense (roads, bridge supports, facilities underwater) is not possible at this time, it is in the areas of emergency protective and short time response measures where we urgently need Federal public assistance. We are still in the early stages of a unique disaster which began in June and will continue for months. The threat of an outbreak of mosquito-borne encephalitis, brought about by thousands of acres of standing floodwater, has been documented by our County and State Health Services and the Federal Center for Disease Control (CDC): "A major problem that we anticipate is that state (USCDC Report of July 16, 1983) I have committed over $600,000 of State emergency funds to take immediate protective measures (aerial spraying, lavaciding, sampling, etc.) to reduce the probability of a mosquito-borne The Honorable Louis 0. Giuffrida Page 2 encephalitis epidemic. I am seriously concerned that this action may prove inadequate at any time in the daily sampling now underway. To again quote the CDC report: "If, despite the mosquito control effort in both (USCDC Report of July 16, 1983) In addition, the public health hazards from seepage and rising groundwater continue to increase. In all three counties, more potable water and solid waste disposal systems are being rendered inoperative or unusable each week. This is all in addition to the nearly $750,000 in State and local emergency response monies devoted to this disaster since June. The emergency expenditures for this disaster, coupled with recession depressed state revenues and the nearly $2 million in State emergency funds committed since January of this year for other disasters, has exhausted the State's capability to provide additional response for this emergency. I request your immediate approval for Federal public assistance so that the public health, safety and welfare is not jeopardized. TESTIMONY OF HARRY LAFFOON MR. CHAIRMAN AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, MY NAME IS HARRY LAFFOON SR., I AM THE VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE COLORADO RIVER INDIAN TRIBES. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY ON BEHALF OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COLORADO RIVER INDIAN TRIBES AND TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF THE COLORADO RIVER FLOODING ON OUR RESERVATION. BECAUSE OF TIME LIMITATIONS I WILL NOT ATTEMPT TO GO INTO DETAIL IN MY REMARKS TODAY, INSTEAD I WILL SUBMIT ADDITIONAL WRITTEN MATERIALS WHICH WILL PROVIDE ADDITIONAL DETAILS. OUR RESERVATION, CONSISTING OF 278,000 ACRES IS SITUATED ALONG BOTH BANKS OF THE COLORADO RIVER, ROUGHLY, BETWEEN BLYTHE, CALIFORNIA AND THE PARKER DAM. LAND IS CONSIDERED AS OUR MAJOR RESOURCE; 107,000 ACRES OF PRIME AGRICULTURAL LANDS LIE WITHIN THE RIVER VALLEY AND WE OWN APPROXIMATELY 90 MILES OF CHOICE RIVERFRONT PROPERTY. HIGH WATER LEVELS IN THE RIVER IF SUSTAINED OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME WOULD CAUSE EXTENSIVE AND IRREPAIRABLE DAMAGES TO THESE LANDS. THE COSTS OF THE FLOODING HAVE BEEN GREAT SO FAR, HOWEVER, WE WILL NOT LEARN OF THE TOTAL COSTS OF THIS DISASTER UNTIL IT IS OVER AND WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONDUCT AN ASSESSMENT OF ALL THE DAMAGES. WE SUSPECT THAT MUCH OF THE DAMAGES ARE STILL UNDER WATER AND CANNOT BE ASSESSED AT THIS TIME. WE DO KNOW THAT THE FLOODING HAS COST THE RESERVATION IN EXCESS OF $69,000 SO FAR. THESE EXPENDITURES WERE REQUIRED TO PROTECTING PERSONAL AND PUBLIC PROPERTIES ALONG THE RIVER BANKS. A MAJOR SHARE OF THESE FUNDS WERE USED FOR BUILDING DIKES AND FOR STABLIZING AREAS WHICH WERE ERODING AND THREATENING STRUCTURES. AN ADDITIONAL COST IN THE AMOUNT OF APPROXIMATELY $35,000 HAS BEEN BORNE BY OUR AHA QUIN MOBILE HOME PARK AND CRIT AIR. BOTH OF THESE TRIBAL ENTERPRISES |