FEMA must follow through on promise to Burnet County
County officials have been waiting months for a response from the federal disaster relief agency and their patience has been rewarded with silence.
Now the commissioners are turning to U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, to apply some pressure to FEMA.
The senator is urged to act on their request immediately, and residents should throw their support behind the commissioners with phone calls, mail and e-mail to the senator’s office.
While it is true FEMA has been dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, which slammed into the Gulf Coast in September and left thousands homeless, the Highland Haven bridge was damaged more than a year earlier.
There is no doubt FEMA had plenty of time to take care of the Highland Haven issue long before Ike showed up.
By all accounts, FEMA hasn’t done so well with the Ike cleanup, either. Gov. Rick Perry last month called the federal government’s efforts to assist Texas in the recovery from Ike “underwhelming” and asked a state commission to accelerate the process.
Certainly Burnet County Commissioner Bill Neve can understand the governor’s frustration, especially since he has waited nearly a year for FEMA to complete its analysis of the Highland Haven Dry Creek Crossing Culvert Improvement Project.
Neve this week called the delay “ridiculous,” and he is absolutely correct in that assessment.
Several weeks ago, he warned fellow commissioners that building costs likely will rise and traffic congestion may become a problem near Dry Creek during the delay on the project.
In the meantime, the state Office of Rural Community Affairs has set aside more than $350,000 for the job, the most expensive work remaining since the June 2007 flood dumped more than 19 inches of rain on the area.
Early last month, county officials said FEMA might approve the project within “a week to 10 days.”
Imagine their disappointment when FEMA never responded, even in spite of repeated inquiries from The Governor’s Division of Emergency Management.
Because it seems even the governor’s office is being stalled on this issue, the commissioners have wisely turned to Hutchison for help.
The flood marked a terrible time for the county. The damage was extensive, lives were shattered and many businesses had to close. But the community pulled together and got through the devastation.
There should be no lingering projects, no repairs left undone. The people of the county should be able to move on and put that terrible night behind them. The crossing culvert improvements need to be made soon; the residents of Burnet County have waited long enough.
Certainly the federal government can’t be expected to do everything after a natural disaster hits. Local agencies bear some responsibility. On the other hand, when FEMA makes a promise, the agency should follow through.