Well, the government shutdown is upon us. Like many of you, I have watched the news out of Washington and regardless of our own philosophical bent, you would have to agree the political impasse is pretty ridiculous. The longer the shutdown the greater its disruption on the economy and the lives of Americans. Besides the thousands of federal workers being furloughed, many businesses that depend on the government will undoubtedly suffer.
Last week I blogged about the flooding in Colorado and total loss standards. With the government shutdown, I wondered whether the flood recovery efforts in Colorado and relief from FEMA would cease. Thankfully, the answer is no. Despite some FEMA staff expected to be off the job temporarily, the word out of FEMA is Colorado flood response operations will not be impacted by the shutdown. According to FEMA spokesperson Dan Watson:
FEMA remains committed to supporting disaster survivors. Our ongoing response operations, such as the individual assistance being provided to survivors of the flooding in Colorado, will not be impacted directly by a government shutdown. FEMA’s response to disasters and emergencies is funded by the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), which would not initially be affected by a funding lapse for annual appropriations.1
This is certainly good news to the 20,000 plus Colorado homeowners who have registered with FEMA for flood assistance.
I am sure we will learn soon enough whether the legislators can work together to avoid a protracted shutdown. Shutdown or no shutdown, those who represent policyholders for a living have important work to do and will continue to soldier on.
1 ABC 7 News, 9/30/13: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/weather/september-flooding/fema-flood-relief-will-continue-in-event-government-shutdown
