Date: 2016-05-25
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chair. my previous amendment dealt with the Investigations account. which is the predecessor to the Construction account. Before I begin the discussion. let me say that I took to the floor of the House in May. after the floods occurred in Houston. and had a moment of silence for the eight people who had died in those floods. Mr. Chair. this was not a hurricane. and it was not a tornado. It was hard rain that caused individuals in their cars to drown. It was very. very tragic. Some going to work. some nurses. some students who were drowning in their cars. This is what it looked like in my district. It looked the same way in 2015 and again in 2016. The Construction account. for which I want to thank Ms. KAPTUR and Mr. SIMPSON. has $1.94 billion. I believe the Construction account is very important to Members across the Nation. Certainly. it is important to the HoustonHarris County region. with other counties around. As the Federal agency that collects and studies basic information pertaining to river and harbor flood and storm damage and shore protection. this is important construction money that will be vital to preventing this kind of catastrophefirst a study. then the construction. The areas that may be impacted by the Army Corps resources include Sims Bayou. Greens Bayou. Brays Bayou. White Oak Bayou. Hunting Bayou. and Clear Creek Bayou. These are the areas that spilt over and caused the enormous damage. On April 15. 2016. an estimated 240 billion gallons of water fell in the Houston area over a 12hour period. which resulted in several areas exceeding the 100- to 500year flood event. That is why these construction dollars are so important. The areas that experienced these historic rainfalls were west of 145. north of I10 and Greens Bayoumy congressional district. among others. Finally. during the May 2015 Houston flood. 3.000 homes were flooded. and eight people died. During the April 2016 Houston flood. 5.400 homes were flooded. and. again. eight deaths were recorded. As for my previous numbers. April 15. 2016. was when they had this constant rain240 billion gallons. The economic damage caused by the 2015 Houston flood is estimated at $3 billion. This Construction account is so very important. I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment. which is the broader view of how these dollars can be utilized to save lives. in particular in regions that I happen to live in. which is the HoustonHarris County area. Mr. Chair. I want to thank Chairman SIMPSON and Ranking Member KAPTUR for shepherding this legislation to the floor and for their commitment to preserving Americas great natural environment and resources so that they can serve and be enjoyed by generations to come. My amendment speaks to the need for robust funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers "Construction" account by redirecting $100 million for increased funding for critical construction projects. like those current and future projects proposed for the Houston/Harris County metropolitan area. Mr. Chair. I am pleased that H.R. 5055 provides $1.945 billion for the Construction account. As the federal agency that collects and studies basic information pertaining to river and harbor. flood and storm damage reduction. shore protection. aquatic ecosystem restoration. and conducts detailed studies. plans. and specifications for river and harbor. and flood and storm damage reduction. the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plays a critical role in building. maintaining. and expanding the most critical of the nations infrastructure. We understand this very well in my home state of Texas and the Eighteenth Congressional District that I represent. The Army Corps of Engineers has been working with the Harris County Flood Control District since 1937 to reduce the risk of flooding within Harris County. Current projects include 6 federal flood risk management projects: 1. Sims Bayou 2. Greens Bayou 3. Brays Bayou 4. White Oak Bayou 5. Hunting Bayou. and 6. Clear Creek In addition to these ongoing projects. the Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains the Addicks and Barker (A&B) Detention Dams in northwest Harris County. Such a study is certainly needed given the frequency and severity of historiclevel flood events in recent years in and around the Houston metropolitan area. It is clear that much more needs to be done to minimize the vulnerability of the nations 4th largest metropolitan area and economic engine from the flood damage. On April 15. 2016. an estimated 240 billion gallons of water fell in the Houston area over a 12 hour period. which resulted in several areas exceeding the 100 to 500 year flood event record. The areas that experienced these historic rainfalls were west of 145. north of I 10. and Greens Bayou. Additionally. an estimated 140 billion gallons of water fell over the Cypress Creek. Spring Creek. and Addicks watershed in just 14 hours. Mr. Chair. during the May 2015 Houston flood. 3.015 homes were flooded and 8 persons died. during the April 2016 Houston flood. 5.400 homes were flooded and 8 deaths recorded. The economic damage caused by the 2015 Houston flood is estimated at $3 billion. the 2016 estimate is being compiled and is estimated to be well above $2 billion. Mr. Chair. minimizing the risk of flood damage to the Houston and Harris County metropolitan area. the nations 4th largest. is a matter of national significance because the region is one of the nations major technology. energy. finance. export and medical centers: 1. Port of Houston is the largest bulk port in the world. 2. Texas Medical Center is a world renowned teaching. research and treatment center. 3. Houston is home to the largest conglomeration of foreign bank representation and second only to New York City as home to the most Fortune 500 companies. and 4. The Houston Watershed Assessment study area sits within major Hurricane Evacuation arteries for the larger Galveston Gulf Coast region. I ask my colleagues to join me and support the Jackson Lee Amendment. I thank Chairman SIMPSON and Ranking Member KAPTUR for their work in shepherding this bill to the floor. Mr. Chair. I reserve the balance of my time. [ 2100