Congressman O’Halleran, Along With Senators Sinema and Kelly, Sent Letter To House And Senate Appropriations Committee Requesting Additional Funding For Flood Mitigation In Coconino County

Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, along with Congressman Tom O’Halleran, has sent a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees requesting additional funding to help communities mitigate for post-wildfire flooding. The funding would go towards the USDA Emergency Watershed Protection program and the USDA Burned Area Rehabilitation. In the letter, the Senators and Congressman address the major flooding events in Coconino County and Flagstaff, stating there were 40 major flood events and 150 National Weather Service flash flood warnings over the past three months. Over 15-hundred homes have been impacted by floodwater, and two major state highways have been closed due to flooding. They end the letter by requesting additional funding for Natural Resource Conservation Service EWP and USDA Burned Area Rehabilitation in the fiscal year 2023 Appropriations bill. They are asking for $41.2-million in EWP Program funds to channel floodwaters through affected neighborhoods, and an additional $34.4-million for on-forest watershed rehabilitation.