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Letter to the President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House Transmitting Report on Earthquake Recovery Assistance to Alaska

February 16, 1966

Dear Mr. President: (Dear Mr. Speaker:)

I have the honor to transmit a report of activity under authority of Public Law 88451, describing the efforts of five Federal departments and agencies to assist in the recovery of Alaska following the earthquake of March 27, 1964.

The Act, entitled "1964 Amendments to the Alaska Omnibus Act" was designed to speed reconstruction of the areas devastated by the earthquake.

This report covers the period from July 1, 1965, through December 31, 1965. It clearly indicates that most of the actions authorized by Public Law 88-451 had been completed prior to this six-month period. Only about $8 million was furnished through the grant and loan programs authorized by the Act, while the total cumulative amount during the eighteen months the amendments have been in effect approximates $60 million. Even this latter figure represents only a small part of the total recovery programs provided by the Federal Government under the various disaster relief authorities.

As of this date, more than $344 million in total Federal aid has been provided for the State, its communities and its people. Of this amount, nearly $169 million has been in the form of direct grants. More than $93 million was provided in the form of loans to individuals, business concerns, and other organizations. The balance represents the cost of repairs to damaged Federal facilities.

It is a tribute to the Congress, to the individual citizens of the State, and to the thousands of State and Federal personnel who worked so diligently following the disaster that Alaska has today substantially recovered from the earthquake that devastated her cities less than two years ago.

Sincerely,

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

Note: This is the text of identical letters addressed to the Honorable Hubert H. Humphrey, President of the Senate, and to the Honorable John W. McCormack, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The text of the report was not made public by the White House.

The 1964 Amendments to the Alaska Omnibus Act was approved by the President on August 19, 1964 (Public Law 88-451; 78 Stat. 505).

Lyndon B. Johnson, Letter to the President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House Transmitting Report on Earthquake Recovery Assistance to Alaska Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/238169

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