Summary

GAO reviewed problems related to the Mount St. Helens disaster and attempted to determine whether the experience could be useful to the government in dealing with future disasters.

Within weeks of the disaster, Congress appropriated $946 million in response to requests from 12 federal agencies for cleanup and recovery funds. However, the appropriations language did not restrict the use of the funds to the Mount St. Helens disaster. GAO found that 6 of the 12 agencies had substantially overestimated their Mount St. Helens needs at a total of more than one-half million dollars and had used or were planning to use the excess funds on other disasters. Five other agencies had exhausted their disaster funds and had to reprogram funds from other activities, obtain additional appropriations, or suspend Mount St. Helens recovery efforts. GAO found that the Army Corps of Engineers' information supporting its future funding needs significantly overstated both the probable effects of future flooding around Mount St. Helens and resulting economic losses. GAO calculated that losses in the absence of river dredging and maintenance may be as high as $400 million, but would likely be only several million dollars, rather than the $1.9 billion estimated by the Corps.