Date: 2016-04-27
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I thank my colleague for yielding to me. and I also thank him for last Friday. when I was able to be in your district there along Brays Bayou in the Westbury area and the Meyerland area and see it. That happened in your district in southwest Houston. but it also happened in north Houston and east Houston. It was not as much as some of the tragedies in other parts of the county. but we have hundreds of homes that have been flooded. On April 18. the city of Houston in Harris County. Texas. was subjected to paralyzing flooding that claimed the lives of our citizens and required the rescue of 1.200 more. Approximately 2.000 housing units were flooded. and we are currently working to figure out where to house these folks who cannot return to their homes. This is the second major flooding disaster Houston has experienced in the last 6 months. and the city is expecting additional rain and thunderstorms this week. Residents of our congressional districts. as well my colleagues member districts. have been severely affected. and we must stop the needless loss of life. The President has recognized the significance of the catastrophe and fulfilled a request for disaster declaration. Now it is the job of Congress to help our constituents. I have worked closely with my neighbor and friend. Representative AL GREEN. to introduce the Tax Day Flood Supplemental Funding Act. The legislation would provide $311 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for construction and. in many cases. completion of our bayous and flood control projects. Flooding is not new in Houston. but we have learned how to control it. Our bayou system has saved countless lives and millions of dollars in damages since being created. Unfortunately. due to the consistent budget pressure. the Army Corps of Engineers cannot adequately fund these projects that need to be finished. This bill would ensure that our Federal. State. and local authorities have the resources necessary to expedite the flood control projects we know protect people and property. Additionally. I want to make sure folks on the ground have the information they need to get back into their homes. If residents are subject to flood damage. please report flood damage by calling 311. Download the Houston 311 app and visit Houston3ll.org to submit flood damage reports. Residents must file an insurance claim with their home or their auto insurance company for damages they have incurred. Failure to file an insurance claim may affect your eligibility for the Federal assistance because. by law. FEMA cannot provide money for losses that are covered by insurance. Also. it is important to know that. if Spanishspeaking households have children that are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. FEMA will assist you. Before submitting your application. folks should have the following information ready: their Social Security number. their home and auto insurance information. flood damage information. personal financial information. and personal contact information. You can apply by phone for FEMA assistance. You can call 18006213362. Again. that is 1800261FEMA. 18006213362. FEMA can offer two types of assistance: housing assistance. temporary housing. money to help repair or replace your primary residence. Nonhousing needs include medical. dental. funeral costs. clothing. household items. tools. home fuel. disasterrelated moving and storage and replacement of disasterdamaged vehicles. After 24 hours. you need to follow up with FEMA. A FEMA inspector should contact you within 10 to 14 days. Mr. Speaker. we can help the victims in our neighborhoods. and we must help them. I urge this body to pass this emergency funding legislation so we wont have this tragedy again while we are trying to get people out of the water and back into their homes and back into a regular life. Again. I want to thank my colleague for having this Special Order tonight. Again. our office and all our congressional offices who are impacted across Houstonwhether they be Republican or Democratare here to serve you and serve our constituents. I thank my colleague.