Tester Statement on Historic Flooding in Montana

In the midst of historic flooding and dangerously high water levels in the Yellowstone, Stillwater, Gallatin, and other rivers, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today released the following statement:

“I am closely monitoring the severe flooding happening in Montana, and I encourage every Montanan to stay safe by following local precautions and avoiding flooded areas. I’m in touch with local, state and federal officials to make sure that folks on the ground are getting the help they need as swiftly as possible, and I appreciate the work of our first responders in keeping folks safe.”

Tester has been in touch with officials at several federal agencies including Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Park Service, the Small Business Administration, and others, and is urging the agencies to work with state and local governments to quickly distribute resources to mitigate damage and make repairs. He has also been in touch with state and local officials to learn about the degree of damage in communities across the state.

Tester was one of five Republicans and four other Democrats to craft the recently signed bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which contains urgently needed funding to repair and replace outdated infrastructure. Tester’s law also includes significant resources for building flood resilient infrastructure and responding to natural disasters, including:

• $7 billion for Army Corps of Engineers infrastructure priorities to improve flood mitigation
• $350 million of that for Army Corps CAP funding which includes Section 205 levee projects. Senator Tester secured a $100 million increase for the CAP program, and secured a provision to allow the Army Corps to waive cost-share requirements for economically-disadvantaged communities.
• $3.5 billion for FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance program.
• $1 billion for the FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Program. This is a pre-disaster mitigation program, supporting states, local communities, tribes and territories undertaking hazard mitigation projects to reduce the risks they face from disasters and natural hazards.