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Legislators promote Washington County flood relief and fundraiser; private aid targeted where FEMA did not qualify
Summary
Legislators from Washington County and former Senator Dave Watson described private relief efforts for flood victims, saying federal aid covered public structures but not private homeowners; a commemorative book and a 6:00 p.m. Salt Palace fundraiser were promoted to raise money for roughly 40 homes destroyed and another 60 damaged.
On the House floor, Washington County legislators described a private fund and commemorative book to support residents who lost homes in recent flooding. Senator Dave Watson, representing the local recovery fund, said federal help covered public infrastructure but private homeowners largely did not qualify for FEMA assistance.
"Our 40 homes were either lost or uninhabitable. There are another 60 that were damaged," Watson told the chamber, explaining the scale of private needs. Legislators said over half of the fundraising book's initial print run sold in four days and urged colleagues to attend a 6 p.m. fundraiser at the Salt Palace that evening.
Representative Clark noted Washington County legislators had contributed to the relief fund and encouraged House members to stop by the event; Representative King urged attendees to bring checks rather than rely on just attending the dinner. The presentation led the House to briefly resolve to a Committee of the Whole to hear from Watson and return to the regular calendar once the fundraising pitch concluded.
