SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS EIGHTY-SECOND CONGRESS FIRST SESSION 86423 SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEFICIENCIES AND ARMY CIVIL FUNCTIONS JOHN H. KERR, North Carolina, Chairman CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri GLENN R. DAVIS, Wisconsin LOUIS C. RABAUT, Michigan GERALD R. FORD, JR., Michigan CORHAL D. ORESCAN, Executive Secretary to Subcommittee Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations UNITED STATES WASHINGTON: 1951 DOCUMENTS DEPARTMENT JUL 30 1951 LIBRARY UNIVERST SIFY HE CALLEOBNIA COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS CLARENCE CANNON, Missouri, Chairman JOHN H. KERR, North Carolina ANTONIO M. FERNANDEZ, New Mexico FOSTER FURCOLO, Massachusetts FRED MARSHALL, Minnesota WINFIELD K. DENTON, Indiana JOHN J. RILEY, South Carolina ALFRED D. SIEMINSKI, New Jersey JOHN TABER, New York RICHARD B. WIGGLESWORTH, Massachusetts H. CARL ANDERSEN, Minnesota NORRIS COTTON, New Hampshire BENJAMIN F. JAMES, Pennsylvania GEORGE B. SCHWABE, Oklahoma EMERGENCY RELIEF IN FLOOD-STRICKEN AREAS WITNESSES SATURDAY, JULY 14, 1951. COL. WRIGHT M. HIATT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS HON. WINT SMITH, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF KANSAS HON. ERRETT P. SCRIVNER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF KANSAS HON. MYRON V. GEORGE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF KANSAS HON. KARL STEFAN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEBRASKA Mr. CANNON. The committee will please be in order. The committee meets this morning to consider a budget estimate for $15 million to be expended without regard to the limitation in section 8 of the act of September 30, 1950, Public Law 875, for disaster relief. Press reports received, and letters and telegrams and long-distance calls from the States affected, indicate a flood of unexampled proportions affecting Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and States below on the river. The flood has broken all former records and has assumed the proportions of a national disaster. CAUSE AND EXTENT OF FLOOD CONDITION We shall hear first Colonel Hiatt. Colonel Hiatt, will you indicate the extent of the situation and the area covered by it? Colonel HIATT. Due to a peculiar meteorological condition which resulted in a so-called high up near the border between Canada and the United States in the vicinity of Montana, and a warm air mass of Gulf air coming in, heavy laden with moisture from the South, there has been for the past 6 weeks a condition of sporadic and intermittent rain over the State of Kansas. The flooding started in the latter part of May and there have been almost continuous daily rains since then over the whole State, of varying intensity. The principal basins affected Mr. KERR. What do you mean by a high? Colonel HIATT. Barometric high pressure; it means that normally the air is cold and dry and in general circulates counterclockwise. Mr. KERR. And then it comes in contact with warm air? Colonel HIATT. With warm air or warm weather-a warm weather cyclone from the Gulf. It is almost like siphoning water from the Gulf of Mexico and dumping it on the State of Kansas. Mr. CANNON. It has evidently resulted in a rainfall unprecedented in the meteorological history of this area. Will you proceed? Mr. SMITH of Kansas. Mr. Chairman, in that connection, the weather records in May, June, and July so far show that it is the highest rainfall in the history of the State for the past 80 years. Mr. CANNON. The press reports that the water is at the highest stage in certain points in Kansas, especially at Kansas City, in the history of that area. Colonel HIATT. The topography of Kansas is rather peculiarly adapted to the concentration of run-off when storm conditions like this occurs, so that the converging flood crests, as we call them, move down the stream in such a manner that they tend to build up and concentrate both in intensity and in quantity at the mouth of the tributaries. So that in the past month there has been great flooding on the Kansas River Basin, throughout most of Kansas, and the Arkansas Basin which drains on down through Oklahoma and the State of Arkansas. Mr. KERR. Will you describe the significance of the green blocks on the map? Colonel HIATT. Those are flood-control projects recommended by the Corps of Engineers, sir. The red blocks are the projects that are authorized for construction, but not yet built. Mr. CANNON. As I understand, the estimate before us does not, deal with flood control, but deals solely with emergency relief? Colonel HIATT. Yes, sir. Mr. CANNON. To take care of the emergency conditions brought about by this unprecedented amount of water? Colonel HIATT. Yes, sir. PRESENT CONDITION OF THE FLOOD Mr. KERR. May I ask another question here? Tell us something about the condition of the flood now. Has it abated any? Colonel HIATT. No, sir; the crest is at Kansas City right now. Mr. SCRIVNER. I think I will be able to give you most of those details, Judge. Colonel HIATT. The crest has exceeded the maximum of record from the Kansas River and the flow there is more than 360,000 cubic feet per second, something of that order. Mr. CANNON. How does that compare with the normal flow of the river, and with previous floods? Colonel HIATT. I would say it is more than 60 times the normal flow of the river even at fairly good stages, sir. It is the greatest flood of the Kansas River that has ever occurred, on record. In Kansas City itself, there is no great human suffering. According to our reports, the civil defense organization is working satisfactorily. Commercial businesses which, in general, are up on the bluffs, have been requested to be closed. All liquor stores and bars are closed. The lower parts of the industrial region, the marshaling yards, the railroad tracks, the refineries, the bridge approaches, are all under water. M. CANNON. This morning's New York Times carries a picture on the front page showing a building in the business district of the city, surrounded by an 8-foot level of water. Colonel HIATT. Yes, sir. Mr. CANNON. So it must have reached the commercial district also? |