U.S. Senate committee
approves flood relief bill

The U.S. Senate has taken a step toward giving about $40 million to help the University of Hawaii recover from the Oct. 30 flood and to prevent future flooding in Manoa Valley.

U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye reports that the Appropriations Committee approved an emergency supplemental funding bill that would provide $23 million for costs not covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and $16.8 million for flood mitigation.

"The funding is essential for the recovery of the University, which is the intellectual lifeblood that nurtures our community and Hawaii's future leaders," Inouye said Wednesday in a news release.

The bill provides $10 million for Hamilton Library; $10 million for the UH School of Medicine and other schools and colleges for replacement educational and research materials; and $3 million for the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

About $15 million will go to the Natural Resources Conservation Service for immediate measures to prevent future damage to the Manoa watershed, and $1.8 million is set aside for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for studies on long-term flood prevention measures.

The bill must still be passed by the full Senate and get through a conference committee with the House before it gets final approval from Congress.

Last week, Gov. Linda Lingle announced that federal disaster aid will pay about $31 million of the damage and cleanup costs from the flood.

FEMA officials estimate that about $41 million of the cleanup and reconstruction costs is eligible for federal disaster funds. The state must pay about $10 million of that amount under a 75/25 cost-sharing split.

Most of the $31 million will go to the Manoa campus, which suffered about $81 million in damage to 32 buildings from the flooding.

Some of the federal money will go to the city for road repairs and to Noelani Elementary School, which also suffered flood damage, according to state officials.

Insurance is expected to pay for about $25 million of the damage at UH.