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Summary

This report provides summary information on emergency supplemental appropriations enacted after major disasters since 1989. During the 20-year span from FY1989 through the present, Congress appropriated more than $213 billion for disaster assistance. Most of the appropriations were preceded by a presidential request for supplemental funding. Some appropriations have been offset by rescissions. The most recent and costly disasters occurred in the summer of 2005 when Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma made landfall in Gulf Coast states. As of the end of calendar year 2007, more than $123 billion has been appropriated for supplemental disaster funding, most of it needed for the recovery from the hurricanes. Portions of the appropriations were offset by rescinding more than $34 billion in previously appropriated funds, explained in the section titled "Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma." Prior to FY2005 and the hurricanes, only the terrorist attacks of 2001 led to supplemental appropriations legislation that exceeded $20 billion. Congress appropriated a total of more than $26 billion for disaster assistance in response to the attacks. Other supplemental appropriations legislation enacted after catastrophic disasters (or several significant disasters that occurred in short time intervals) range from almost $366 million in FY2001 before the terrorist attacks (largely due to the Nisqually earthquake in the summer of 2001) to more than $12 billion for the Midwest floods of 1993 and the Northridge earthquake of 1994. In the latter instances, Congress appropriated funds to address the needs caused by more than one disaster. At times, the supplementals enacted by Congress have included only disaster funding. The supplementals enacted after Hurricane Hugo and the Loma Prieta earthquake, in addition to the first two enacted after Hurricane Katrina, serve as examples. On other occasions, however, disaster funding has been part of larger pieces of legislation that appropriated funds for purposes other than disaster assistance. In the latter category of statutes, disaster funding ranges from less than 1% (wildfires and Hurricane Isabel, FY2004) to almost 90% of the total appropriations (Oklahoma City bombing of 2005). The most recent action providing supplemental disaster assistance occurred on November 13, 2007, when the President signed into law P.L. 110-116, the FY2008 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. Division B of the conference report (H.Rept. 110-434) contains supplemental appropriations providing a total of $6.4 billion in disaster related funding. This report will be updated as events warrant to reflect any additional supplemental disaster assistance appropriations in the 110th Congress.

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