Congresswoman Bush Secures Over $82 Million Disaster Recovery Funding for St. Louis Region
St. Louis, Mo. (Mar. 15, 2023) — Today, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) proudly announced that she secured $82,259,000 in disaster recovery for the St. Louis region through Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant funds. These funds are appropriated by Congress and allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to rebuild disaster-impacted areas and provide crucial seed money to start the long-term recovery process. Congresswoman Bush advocated for this funding by working directly with HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge to prioritize St. Louis during last year’s appropriations negotiations, in response to the historic flooding that devastated her district last summer.
“Our communities are still recovering from the historic flooding that left so much of St. Louis devastated this past summer. As the climate crisis continues to accelerate, dealing with the lasting consequences of extreme weather and climate disasters continues to become a daily reality for our communities,” said Congresswoman Bush. “It is essential that as we continue to tackle climate change, we simultaneously are equipping our communities with the funding and resources necessary to survive. That is why I am so grateful for Secretary Fudge’s partnership and leadership, and I am so proud to have successfully advocated for and secured over $82 million dollars in disaster recovery aid for our region. This funding will provide St. Louis and our neighbors with the tools we need to stay resilient and to keep our communities safe.”
This allocation for the Sxt. Louis region comes from the overall $3 billion in CDBG-DR funds for 2022 major disasters. This funding can be used for a broad range of disaster recovery activities, such as disaster relief, long-term recovery efforts, restoration of infrastructure, housing and economic revitalization. Of the 0ver $82 million that the Congresswoman secured for the St. Louis region, $56,425,000 million is set to be allocated to St. Louis County and $25,834,000 million is to be allocated to St. Louis City.
“Thank you to Congresswoman Bush for her hard work to secure this vital funding for St. Louis County that will provide additional resources for those still recovering from last July’s flooding,” said County Executive Dr. Sam Page.
"This critical funding will help support our city following natural disasters," said St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. "I applaud Congresswoman Bush for her continued hard work to bring resources to St. Louis."
“I am inspired by Congresswoman Bush’s advocacy for our region. Congresswoman Bush knows that climate change produces severe rainfall that caused the massive flooding we saw just last year. This historic flooding impacted our members, family, friends, and neighbors. Now is the time for bold climate solutions to limit the frequency and intensity of the climate disasters we’re seeing now,” said Gretchen Waddell Barwick, Director of the Sierra Club, Missouri Chapter.
“Severe weather events caused by climate change will continue to be a threat to many communities for years to come, and we are happy to see the Federal Government invest in their recovery,” said Jared Opsal, Executive Director, Missouri Coalition for the Environment.
Congresswoman Bush has a long-standing record in advocating for recovery efforts in response to disasters and extreme weather brought on by climate change, including:
- In July 2022, since the flash-flooding in St. Louis first started in July 2022, Congresswoman Bush worked closely with the Biden administration, as well as state and local leaders, to secure a federal Major Disaster Declaration. She issued a statement directed at Governor Mike Parson to formally issue a request for federal disaster assistance from President Biden.
- In August 2022, after Governor Parson heeded the Congresswoman’s request and issued a request to President Biden for federal disaster assistance, Congresswoman Bush, alongside then-Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) led the entire Missouri delegation in a letter to President Biden, supporting this request. A week later, President Biden formally signed the Major Disaster Declaration, unlocking federal resources for St. Louis flood assistance.
- In September 2022, Congresswoman Bush introduced two pieces of legislation — the Worker Safety in Climate Disasters Act and the Wind Safety Standard Act — to protect workers in the event of climate disasters and extreme weather.
- In December 2022, Congresswoman Bush worked with then-Senator Roy Blunt to deliver $214 million in investments for public transportation systems nationwide, including for Bi-State Development in St. Louis, to aid recovery needs following natural disasters. This funding came via the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023, or Omnibus Package, which is legislation that fund the federal government for fiscal year 2023.
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