Federal Officials Praise Flood Volunteerism

Two of President Obama’s cabinet members offered help and praised the resilience of Nashvillians after touring Pennington bend and downtown Monday.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke says he’s impressed by how many downtown restaurants, stores and offices have reopened or found ways of working around their flood damage. He says his department is offering a variety of assistance programs to businesses that register for federal aid.

“We want those businesses back on their feet as quickly as possible because we want the people of the area to have jobs, good paying jobs, as quickly as possible.”

Both Locke and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan praised the level of volunteerism they’ve seen in response to the flood. Donovan stressed that response and recovery is primary a local matter, with the federal government operating in a support position.

Donovan also attempted to reassure flood victims with federally-backed mortgages. He’s announcing a temporary moratorium on foreclosures in areas affected by the flood.

“It is simply wrong for a family that has been struck by a natural disaster like you’ve seen here in Nashville, across Tennessee, to be victimized again by a foreclosure because they cannot make their payments.”

So far, 18-thousand Tennesseans have registered for disaster aid, and 29-million dollars of assistance have been approved.