Comment Submitted by J.C. Balcom

The changes being proposed in a Notice of Intent from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as successfully being ushered through congress, to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the flood plain maps, from the perspective of a North Dakotan and Missouri River basin citizen, are another effort by one government agency of the government — FEMA — to remove any responsibility for the inadequacy of another — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In my view, FEMA is, therefore, inadequate also. Residents of New Orleans and all gulf states could attest to that from a number of years ago. The changes further eliminates any assistance FEMA may provide for EMERGENCIES. The USACE has been given the job to manage the Missouri River's mainstem dams. The initial, most-important purpose for those dams came from the desire of the region's people for flood protection for the plains of the country's bread basket. Flood protection is what began the process for the building of the dams. The many other important purposes the dams came along as bonuses. To eliminate the government-sponsored flood insurance effectively removes all accountability for flooding like what happened on the Missouri River system in the summer of 2011. And, that could have been prevented. No patronizing meetings with the USACE blaming the unpredictability of the weather will convince me or many other North Dakotans otherwise. The USACE needs to be accountable for not fulfilling the first order of management of the dam system — flood control. Since last summer, FEMA has helped this Missouri basin landowner very little. I'd imagine the action proposed for NFIP will completely eliminate all assistance for future Corps' incompetency. I think this action by FEMA and the action in Congress should be stopped. I will appeal to the North Dakota government officials to follow this closely for the citizens of their state. I believe they are likewise displeased by these actions.