Governor Daniels creates state office for flood-recovery assistance

Gov. Mitch Daniels announced Monday in a press conference that he has created the Office of Disaster Recovery. The office is a government department meant to aid in the state’s efforts to repair and rebuild in the wake of the heavy flooding that occurred in late spring. 

“We have to do as competent a job of helping victims and communities recover as Hoosiers did responding to the immediate dangers of the disaster,” Daniels said in a press release. “We don’t want a single person or town to miss a deadline or an opportunity to receive assistance for which they’re eligible.”

With the Aug. 11 deadline for applying for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Small Business Administration approaching, Daniels said in the press conference he thinks many disaster victims are still unaware of their options and the newly created Office of Disaster Recovery may be able to help them better understand those options.

The press release listed four main efforts the new office will focus on:
• obtaining the maximum amount of federal funds for recovery and rebuilding efforts by individuals, businesses, state agencies and local units of government
• exercising the necessary operational authority in recovery effort decisions on behalf of the state
• providing technical assistance, education and outreach to local governments and private organizations working on recovery efforts at the community level
• developing a final report to the governor on the response and recovery efforts including recommendations for the future based on lessons learned during flood-response efforts

The office has no fixed timeframe for its operations, according to the press release, and will be headed by Indiana Agriculture Director Andy Miller.