Budget cuts may hamper flooding research - Peter Harriman, Argus-Leader

"The challenge is going to be funding" for any of the research, said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., especially when paying for the disaster itself is necessary in a tight fiscal climate. The federal government ends up financing most research like that mentioned. But he added, "I think it makes a lot of sense, based on our experience this year, to do what's necessary to get that kind of information, to collect that kind of data. "These disasters always cost money," Thune said. "But you look at the after-effects, the treatment effects, and it ends up costing a lot more than if we can figure ways to employ preventive measures."