Commerce Invests $7.9M to Make Flood Control Infrastructure Improvements Needed to Protect Businesses From Flooding in Hamburg, Iowa

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration issued the following news release on Oct. 7:

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department's Economic Devel opment Administration (EDA) is awarding a $7.9 million grant to the city of Hamburg, Iowa, to make critical infrastructure improvements needed to protect businesses along the Missouri River from flooding. The EDA grant, to be matched with $1.9 million in local investment, is expected to create or retain 349 jobs.

"The Trump Administration is committed to supporting locally-developed strategies designed to improve economic resilience in the wake of natural disasters," said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. "The levee infrastructure improvements implemented with the assistance of this EDA investment will shield local businesses from flood waters and make the region's economy more resilient in the wake of natural disasters."

"In the spring of 2019, storms and flooding along the Missouri River severely impacted the city of Hamburg," said Dana Gartzke, Performing the Delegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. "This investment will address the need for resilient flood mitigation infrastructure by increasing the height of the Hamburg levee to protect businesses from future high-water events."

"Iowa continues to leverage federal resources to help local communities not only to plan for the next natural disaster, but be prepared to withstand it, and recover more quickly in the future," said Governor Kim Reynolds. "We're grateful to Secretary Ross and the Trump Administration for their partnership from the very beginning in response to severe flooding that devastated communities in Hamburg and across southwest Iowa."

"I am pleased to see this economic investment coming into our rural communities," said Congresswoman Cindy Axne (IA-03). "After the devastating flooding in the spring of 2019, the Hamburg community came together, rebuilt and repaired what was lost, and showed us all just how resilient Iowans are. Not only will this money serve as a catalyst for the future growth of southwest Iowa but also it will help create jobs while working to ensure such a tragic event doesn't happen again."

This project was made possible by the regional planning efforts led by the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO), which EDA funds to bring together the public and private sectors to create an economic development roadmap to strengthen the regional economy, support private capital investment, and create jobs.

This project is funded by the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 116-20) (https://www.congress.gov/116/plaws/publ20/PLAW-116publ20.pdf), which provided EDA with $600 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program (https://www.eda.gov/pdf/about/Economic-Adjustment-Assistance-Program-1-Pager.pdf) Program funds for disaster relief and recovery for areas affected by Hurricanes Florence, Michael, and Lane, Typhoons Yutu and Mangkhut, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and other major natural disasters occurring in calendar year 2018, and tornadoes and floods occurring in calendar year 2019, under the Robert T. Stafford Act. Please visit EDA's Disaster Supplemental webpage for more information.