1200 12 12 damage. Total damage.......... Number with major 300 $800 42,500 43, 300 Douglas. 0 0 damage and esti mated amount of damage. 0 1 $8,000.00 1222 600 25, 580 0 0 Douglas. Jackson. Portland. 3 63, 194. 62 0 Polk. 106, 194. 62 24, 800 11 16,000 Clackamas. 0 31 21, 175 Douglas. 0 Jackson. Washington. Josephine. Portland. 0 0 17 4, 450 Polk. 52, 350 Personnel normally 420 282 0 400 36 5 152 108 540 30 Portland. Clackamas. Josephine. Coos. Douglas. Polk. 000 6,000.00 $2,000 Clackamas. 1,200.00 0 Douglas. 260, 500 Coos. 0 0 7,319.00 2,000 100 Josephine. 264, 600 000 4,500.00 0 2,400 Coos. 0 2, 600 Douglas. 0 0 3,000 32,000.00 0 9, 128.00 0 850 Josephine. Polk. 10, 050 1202 1 Unknown. NOTE.-The State of Oregon highway system suffered an estimated $685,400 damage to Federal aid supported highways. Senator LEHMAN. We are hearing this atfernoon the commissioner of insurance of the State of North Carolina, the superintendent of insurance of the State of New York, and the director of State administration, State of Rhode Island. I know all of you gentlemen have engagements, with close schedules to leave for home. I understand Mr. Owen, however, has the closest schedule. I am not sure whether that is correct or not, but I have been so informed. Therefore I am going to ask Mr. Owen to testify first. STATEMENT OF GOV. DENNIS J. ROBERTS, STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, PRESENTED BY H. CLINTON OWEN, JR., DIRECTOR OF STATE ADMINISTRATION Mr. OWEN. Senator, as you know, I am reading this into the record for the Governor, who was out of the State, but it was prepared for his delivery. Senator LEHMAN. You have a prepared statement on behalf of the Governor? Mr. OWEN. Yes. I am H. Clinton Owen, Jr., director of State administration of the State of Rhode Island, reading the statement of Gov. Dennis J. Roberts into the record as follows: Since my appearance before the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency in Providence last November 10 (see p. 584, pt. 1), this committee has done much good work in reexamining and rethinking the problems involved in a program of Federal flood and disaster insurance. I can assure you that these efforts have not been wasted, for the threat of floods and similar natural disasters is real, and the need for adequate, practical answers to the appalling devastation so caused is urgent. This is true not only for Rhode Island and New England, but for the rest of the Nation as well-a fact which has been driven home by the recent destructive floods on the west coast. In particular, the redraft of Senator Herbert H. Lehman's bill, S. 3137, endorsed by Senators Theodore Francis Green and John O. Pastore, of Rhode Island, shows the beginnings of a realistic and practical approach. There are three points about this bill which deserve special commendation. First, there is the provision creating a Federal Flood Insurance Administration, with a Commissioner who would have the authority to establish general operating policies. This would permit prompt and effective action in an area where prompt and effective action is needed. The second point is that State participation is not required. Federal responsibility for flood control has long since been acknowledged. To compel the States to share equally with the Federal Government the costs of flood insurance would penalize the States for the failure of the Federal Government to meet its existing responsibilities for preventive flood control. In fact, one of the reasons why flood and disaster insurance is so urgently needed now is to bridge the time lapse until adequate Federal flood-control measures can be put into effect. Moreover, substantial State participation over and above established premiums for State-insured property would tend to defeat the purpose of flood insurance, since it would have the effect of reimposing on the hardest hit areas an additional portion of a burden which is already too heavy. Where floods cause major devastation only the Federal Government is in a position to spread the burden to a degree which will be readily supportable, and the nature and national scope of the problem clearly dictates Federal responsibility. The third commendable feature of the revised Lehman bill is that it does not allow the technical aspects of ratemaking to obstruct accomplishment of its purpose. The primary consideration is to provide 69096-56-pt. 2-20 |