The U.S. Weather Bureau has been authorized by the State department of civil defense to sound the air raid warning signals in a case of this nature. The television and radio stations responded with full warning and emergency instructions. When the power failures occurred, hundreds of families turned to their transistor radios which enabled them to follow the paths of the funnels and protect their lives. Damage from these tornadoes in property alone has been very conservatively estimated at $34.5 million. This property damage figure does not reflect the very substantial loss to wage earners unable to work and income to businesses unable to operate.

Within an hour after the tornado struck, I, with members of my staff, inspected the three hardest hit communities to participate in the relief and rescue operations.

There are few experiences in life which approach the well-nighindescribable night of calamity of May 6, 1965.

As a tank unit commander in World War II, I have seen destruction-bombing and shelling-organized and directed against communities. I have witnessed great personal tragedy.

Yet, nothing in my memory is more grim than the recollection of the night of May 6, 1965: the bereaved, the injured, the torment in the eyes of those separated from their loved ones; the shock and disbelief in the eyes of those whose homes had been totally demolishedbroken and smashed into nothingness.

I will conclude this history with a brief account of the indomitable spirit of Minnesotans. In the defense and preparation before the floods, during the floods, and in the aftermath of the tornadoes, our people responded with heroism and a remarkable concern for their neighbors.

Thousands of volunteers responding from nearby, unaffected communities-a vast majority of them girls and boys in their teensworked on the dikes and in the relief operations. No one can ever measure the amount of lives and property saved by their valiant efforts, nor ever adequately repay them for their efforts. And, to their great credit, they sought no compensation.

The victims of the disaster have demonstrated a rare courage and strong will. Minnesota, which experienced drought in the summer of 1964, storms and floods in the late winter and early spring of 1965 and tornadoes in May of this year, is rebuilding.

I have talked with many hundreds of Minnesotans at disaster sites. Their resiliency, their tenacity, their toughness, adaptability and strength of character has instilled in all Minnesotans a great pride in ourselves and great optimism in our future.

I speak now for all those in America who have been or will be affected by a major natural disaster when I say that the legislation which you consider today is greatly desirable and sorely needed.

I have read and analyzed S. 1861 carefully. I strongly support the concept of Federal loan adjustments as they apply to several Federal departments and agencies the Farmers Home Administration, the Rural Electrification Administration, the Housing and Home Finance Agency, the Veterans' Administration, and the Small Business Administration.

Over $90 million in private property damage was sustained by Minnesotans from floods and tornadoes. Federal loan adjustments would be of immeasurable benefit in the face of such losses.

Further, there is need for Federal and State participation to refinance outstanding mortgage obligations, to provide shelter for disaster victims, to permit insured disaster loans, to grant time extensions to farmers to comply with eligibility requirements for participation in Department of Agriculture programs, and to render assistance to unincorporated communities.

The provisions of this bill relating to elementary and secondary school assistance, to school construction assistance, and to assistance for school expenditures in major disaster areas are meritorious and

necessary.

The provision to permit 100 percent payment for repair and reconstruction of any Federal-aid highway necessitated by a major disaster is most important. In Minnesota over $12 million in flood damage resulted to our federally aided system of highways.

This, was over $12.5 million in flood damage to our nonfederally aided system, has resulted in great hardship to our State and governmental subdivisions. Under the present 50-percent-payment formula. we must curtail our highway construction program.

I support the provision which authorizes the Office of Emergency Planning to make 50 percent reimbursement to individuals, partnership and corporations and others for emergency flood protection where local units of government are not able to provide such protection.

Gentlemen, I strongly urge the passage of S. 1861. The people of Minnesota-and the people in other disaster areas of the United States have demonstrated a magnificent ability to react to adversity and to disaster. Now, the political leaders of the United States must demonstrate understanding and responsibility by passage of the Disaster Relief Act of 1965.

In conclusion, I would like to pay the respect and express the appreciation of the people of Minnesota to President Johnson, Governor Ellington and his staff in the Office of Emergency Planning, to Secretary Freeman, and the Department of Agriculture, to the Army Corps of Engineers and the district engineer, Lieutenant Colonel Harding, Mr. Joseph Strub, of the U.S. Weather Bureau, the Minnesota National Guard, and all other Federal and State agencies which cooperated so marvelously in a coordinated effort to assist us during our period of trial.

Mr. Chairman, I believe you have a copy of the tabulation of the dollar estimates of these several disasters in Minnesota. I would like to call to your attention that the combined dollar value of loss in Minnesota during 1964 and 1965 from droughts, snows, floods, and tornadoes represents a figure of over $243 million-a very substantial loss in a State the size of Minnesota.

(The tabulation submitted by Governor Rolvaag follows:)

Floods:

Natural disasters-Minnesota, 1965

Debris clearance, protective measures, dikes, levees, public

NOTE. The American Red Cross estimates that it has expended to date the sum of $630,320 for family relief due to the floods and tornadoes.

Flooding and heavy rains have prevented many of our wheat and feed grain farmers from planting this spring. The present farm law prevents direct price support and wheat certificate payments to farmers who have not planted their crops. The loss of these farm program payments will cause extreme financial hardship to Minnesota farmers. Therefore, I urge support for legislation sponsored by Representative Stanley L. Greigg. of Iowa, which will authorize price support and wheat certificate payments in disaster areas only on the basis of permitted acres rather than planted acres.

Governor ROLVAAG. I also will present to the committee a copy of these flood situation reports, before we leave.

Senator BAYH. Rather than including all of these reports in the record, I think the major purpose can be accomplished by placing them in the committee files, so the entire document does not have to be reprinted. However, I personally intend to look at these closely.

Governor ROLVAAG. I might say, sir, if I may, I note in the bill that there is a provision for the use of civil defense warning systems. Frankly, I do not know whether our civil defense system in the Minnesota department has violated Federal or State statutes, but we did have a warning system worked out with the U.S. Weather Bureau, for a disaster exactly like we had on May 6. The very fact that the Weather Bureau could provide an air raid warning system, without any question, saved hundreds and hundreds of lives.

The schoolchildren, particularly, were aware of what the warning signal was, and in one community, where the warning system did not work, we suffered the largest percentage loss of life.

Senator BAYH. This is interesting information. I am certain that the provision that you have in Minnesota is not a violation of Federal statute. It is my understanding that there is leeway to do this, but that the States have been negligent, and have not showed the farsighted approach to this problem that you have, and it is our feeling a declaration of Congressional intent, plus provisions to study the feasibility of this, would enhance the possibility of other States doing what Minnesota has already done, and to your credit, sir.

May I ask you to give me your thinking concerning a proposal that the Bureau of the Budget has recently discussed with us, which would provide in addition to the provisions of the bill before you, a costsharing grant program, in which the Federal Government would bear the major portion of the burden. Yet the individual himself would share part of the loss, and the State government involved would have to match some of the Federal funds to provide for those who have no collateral, who could not qualify for the liberal provisions of the measure before us, or who would be confronted with having a mor gage on a mortgage, in effect, having a home swept away that has a large mortgage, and then having to get another loan to rebuild.

What would be your thoughts on this as Governor about the availability of State matching funds for a program such as this?

Governor ROLVAAG. I think the States have to assume some responsibility in these areas. I would think such a provision would be particularly helpful in the flood areas, where there is no insurance available-we can insure against wind damage and tornado damage or be particularly helpful in the areas of the flood damage, where insurance is not available.

Senator BAYH. I noticed a similarity in the figures regarding the loss to Federal highway programs and State highways and other highway losses in your flood situation. This morning, Mr. Whitton, of the Federal Bureau of Roads, was before us, and I tried to stress to him that by the time the State got through expending its funds to restore the farm-to-market roads and city streets, where the State alone has the responsibility, that it would be contributing equally with the Federal Government, if the Federal Government bore the entire burden for restoring Federal highways. Rather ironically, your figures

seem to match this out, dollar for dollar, with 12.5 loss in the one, and 12 in another.

Governor ROLVAAG. I might say, sir, that these figures are probably not on the Federal system, because generally in those areas the water damage has been pretty well assessed by engineering teams at the present time. But there are farm-to-market roads that are still under water, and we will not know the damage until that water recedes. As I mentioned in my testimony, we have a county commissioner in north-central Minnesota who since the first of April has not yet been able to get to his farmstead except by boat. And there are farm-to-market roads in that section of Minnesota which are under water, and will be for some time.

Senator BAYH. It is pretty difficult to plow or to plant corn by boat.

Governor RoLVAAG. Pretty hard to plant corn by boat. I was very happy to see the legislation which was passed by the House yesterday which permitted the extension of the agricultural programs to those farmers who have planned, but have been unable to plant their acreages because of natural disasters.

Senator BAYH. As you know, one provision of our bill would give the Secretary of Agriculture more incentive for utilizing the present programs. I noticed that in Minnesota, you have had the cooperation of the Department of Agriculture to a large extent in your job, as well as in your flood. Is that correct?

Governor ROLVAAG. Yes, sir. In the flood situation, food supplies became, of course, a critical matter in many areas; USDA surplus stocks of food were made available to the Red Cross and to the supplying agencies in the feeding stations.

Senator BAYH. Well, Governor, I appreciate very much your taking time to join us. Your expertise in this area will be very helpful in our record, and helpful in getting this measure passed.

Thank you for your help and for the tremendous job that you have done in Minnesota to try to meet these fantastic hurdles that nature has thrown in your way there.

Governor ROLVAAG. Thank you very much.

Senator BAYH. I trust that that silver lining is right around the corner as far as disasters are concerned in Minnesota.

Governor ROLVAAG. We were delighted in Minnesota, sir, to find that the Farmers' Almanac is sometimes wrong. The Farmers' Almanac had predicted an earthquake in Minnesota on June 12, and that was the last straw. In this case, the Farmers' Almanac was wrong.

I would like to point out one other thing, Senator, and this is that I suppose there are some flood situations that can be controlled. I mentioned heavier snows that we had had in Minnesota last winter, and the unusually high water content. The U.S. Corps of Engineers and our engineers had developed a contour map showing the contours of the heavy snowfalls. In central Minnesota, in a city called St. Cloud, we had over 40 inches of snow, and in that snow was water of 11 inches. Preceding the snows, we had a very sharp freeze, and extremely cold weather; late in the fall, a series of heavy rains, which froze, more cold weather, more heavy rains, and finally the snow, so the snow lay on a sheet of ice, all over central Minnesota. And we knew early in the spring-we had our last major blizzard on St. Patrick's

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