Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
  • Home
  • About
    • Latest News
    • Statement on Systemic Racism
    • Leadership
    • Our Partners
    • Parking and Directions
  • Education
    • People Powered 2023 Program
    • Educational Resources
    • Teacher Institute
    • Internship Program
  • Research
    • Congressional Collections >
      • Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Sr. Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Jr. Congressional Papers
      • Scot Falkner CAO Papers
    • Blog
    • Digital Collections
    • Oral History Project
    • Plan a Visit to the Archives
    • Collecting Policy
  • Events
    • Forum on Pollution
    • Formidable - author event
    • Summer Fundraiser 2023
    • Voices of the Community
    • Constitution Day
    • Past Events
  • Support Us
    • Friends of the Byrd Center
    • Name a Seat
    • Annual Report
  • Reservations
  • Login

West Virginia Responds to Hurricane Andrew

1/30/2018

 
By Jody Brumage

​
“The destruction from this storm goes beyond anything we’ve known in recent years. It will test the resources of all volunteer organizations, private sector help, and state, local, and federal governments.” President George H.W. Bush delivered these grave remarks in the White House briefing room on August 26, 1992 as the nation was realizing the horrific damage wrought by Hurricane Andrew. Florida and Louisiana were among the hardest hit areas. Two days prior to his statement to the press, President Bush toured Florida. He planned to visit Louisiana in the next few days to assess damages there too. The recovery effort that lay ahead was a daunting one as communities dealt with the loss of human lives and billions of dollars in damage.​
News of the devastation inspired empathy and action among many people in the United States, including West Virginians. Seven years earlier, the state had experienced the 1985 Election Day floods, the worst flooding disaster in the state’s history. A tropical front pulling moisture from Hurricane Juan stalled over West Virginia, dropping immense amounts of rain over a period of 24 hours and causing many of the state’s rivers to swell to historic levels. By the end of the ordeal, 62 people had lost their lives in the states of West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland and damages were estimated to total $1.4 billion. The recovery from these floods involved numerous aid organizations and government programs and spanned decades in some parts of the state.
Picture
Senator Byrd meets with volunteers from around West Virginia and outside of the state in the recovery from the 1985 floods.
The powerful memories of these historic floods, bolstered by the ongoing recovery work, led West Virginians to contact their congressional representatives to offer help in any way they could. In the days following the storm, Senator Byrd’s office received dozens of calls and letters from ambulance and fire companies, community service organizations, and businesses from around the state wishing to send supplies, equipment, and volunteers to Florida and Louisiana to aid in the recovery effort. Senator Byrd’s staff dove into the complicated bureaucratic network of disaster recovery to assess how these resources could best be used, working with FEMA representatives as well as state officials in the affected areas. 
​​Senator Byrd’s role in responding to Hurricane Andrew went beyond referring the offers of resources and volunteers to the disaster relief effort. As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he had a direct role in crafting the spending bill to support the recovery. Two weeks after the disaster, the House and Senate agreed to an aid package totaling $11.1 billion, establishing Andrew as one of the most expensive hurricanes in U.S. history.

In the months after Hurricane Andrew swept across the southeastern United States, another unfortunate parallel to the West Virginia floods emerged, delays in the delivery of disaster relief. In 1985 and 86, Senator Byrd and his colleagues in Congress employed every means necessary, including loopholes to speed recovery resources to the state. A provision had to be made to exempt West Virginia from matching funds requirements that it could not afford, allow Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) support to be released the state. In the coming years, poor planning and misinformation regarding flood insurance programs caused significant controversy in some of the hardest-hit areas. Similarly, in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, criticism of FEMA for being too slow to respond was expressed in editorials and public statements across the country, including in several major West Virginia papers.


The lessons of the West Virginia floods and Hurricane Andrew have had a profound impact on the relief policy and public response to natural disasters. In the case of Florida where Hurricane Andrew produced its most severe damage, the state has passed numerous laws and instituted drills for emergency evacuations and recovery. These efforts have produced greater public awareness and, in the case of subsequent hurricanes, more compliance to follow warnings and safety orders. In West Virginia, the floods of 1985 led to massive infrastructure improvements, many supported by Senator Byrd to building protection walls and levees as well as early warning systems. However, the need for continued review and improvement of disaster relief policy continues. In the wake of disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the devastating 2017 hurricane season, similar criticisms continue to be raised about the expediency of aid and the amount of resources provided for communities impacted by natural disasters. Another element of these stories has also remained true, that in the face of major disasters, people join their efforts and volunteer to support communities where aid is most needed, just as West Virginian’s did for the victims of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Comments are closed.
    Welcome to the Byrd Center Blog! We share content here including research from our archival collections, articles from our director, and information on upcoming events. 

    Categories

    All
    Director's Posts
    Intern Blogs
    Posts From The Archives

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    November 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    December 2011

    RSS Feed

Picture
213 North King Street
PO Box 5000
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
(304) 876 - 5702

Our Mission:

The Byrd Center advances representative democracy by promoting a better understanding of the United States Congress and the Constitution through programs and research that engage citizens.
© 2021 Robert C. Byrd Center for
​Congressional History and Education
  • Home
  • About
    • Latest News
    • Statement on Systemic Racism
    • Leadership
    • Our Partners
    • Parking and Directions
  • Education
    • People Powered 2023 Program
    • Educational Resources
    • Teacher Institute
    • Internship Program
  • Research
    • Congressional Collections >
      • Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Sr. Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Jr. Congressional Papers
      • Scot Falkner CAO Papers
    • Blog
    • Digital Collections
    • Oral History Project
    • Plan a Visit to the Archives
    • Collecting Policy
  • Events
    • Forum on Pollution
    • Formidable - author event
    • Summer Fundraiser 2023
    • Voices of the Community
    • Constitution Day
    • Past Events
  • Support Us
    • Friends of the Byrd Center
    • Name a Seat
    • Annual Report
  • Reservations
  • Login