Flood Barrier USA

College Plans Can Be Swept Away by Flood-waters

Author: Donna Conneely

It is too early to predict the final cost of Hurricane Irene, but odds are good that it will be well over the $1 billion mark. If so, this catastrophic event will be the 10th natural disaster of the year to exceed this cost level.

In 2011, floods and tornadoes have strained state budgets to the breaking point throughout the US, and disaster aid costs are forcing cuts in other important services, including education. Many students who would otherwise have enjoyed the opportunity to earn a college degree are now likely to see their chances of higher education swept away by floods and other natural disasters.

After a natural disaster, the federal government typically pays for up to 75% of the costs of cleaning up debris, repairing damaged infrastructure, and helping people get back on their feet.  The remaining costs are borne by the state. Although this 25% burden may seem small by comparison to the federal share, it is more than enough to break the bank in many states due to the greatly increased number of significant disasters in 2011.

As of August 2011, disaster relief funding has already exceeded the annual budgeted amounts in many states. Even well-prepared states find that emergency funds are being exhausted as areas still staggering from one catastrophe are engulfed by the next.

The money to pay for the disasters must come from somewhere, and unfortunately education is not immune to the sweeping cuts needed to offset the relief costs. Students in the state of Missouri have already been burdened with increased college tuition costs, meaning that some students will be priced out.

As individuals, prudent home and business owners must step up plans to protect their property from floods and other natural disasters, because state and federal aid will increasingly be inadequate in the aftermath.  When disaster strikes, unprepared home and business owners may be presented with huge unexpected repair costs.  This, coupled with budgetary cuts on the state and federal level, may impact educational opportunities. It is every parent’s nightmare to watch their children’s dreams of attending college receding with the flood-waters.

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 28th, 2011 at 4:09 pm and is filed under Flood Protection. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.