Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today praised the announcement that the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $7.9 million grant to the city of Hamburg, Iowa, to make critical infrastructure improvements needed to protect businesses along the Missouri River from flooding. The EDA grant, to be matched with $1.9 million in local investment, is expected to create or retain 349 jobs.
“The City of Hamburg is no stranger to devastating natural disasters. Last year, I saw the damage firsthand and met with residents and small business owners who had been significantly impacted by the severe flooding,” Grassley said. “Iowans are strong and resilient. I’m glad to see this $7.9 million investment go to the Hamburg community as they continue to rebuild and to make improvements to their infrastructure and protect local businesses.”
“The Trump Administration is committed to supporting locally-developed strategies designed to improve economic resilience in the wake of natural disasters,” Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said. “The levee infrastructure improvements implemented with the assistance of this EDA investment will shield local businesses from flood waters and make the region’s economy more resilient in the wake of natural disasters.”
Grassley has continued to monitor the impact of the 2019 flooding across the state of Iowa. Last year, Grassley participated in a field hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in southwest Iowa chaired by Ernst, in which local stakeholders, including Mayor Crain of Hamburg, described the struggles communities have in keeping levee improvements made in face of flooding permanent. Following that hearing, Grassley and Ernst continued to work to help this region of the state recover.
