[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 75 (Thursday, May 12, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H2330-H2333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             TAX DAY FLOOD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2015, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al 
Green) for 30 minutes.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am honored tonight to stand 
here in the U.S. House of Representatives to call to the attention of 
my colleagues, my friends, H.R. 5025, a bill that will bring some 
relief to much suffering in the Houston area in the State of Texas.
  But before I get into the bill itself, I think it appropriate to 
thank some people for what they have done to help us get to this point.
  I thank my colleague who will be speaking in just a moment, the 
Honorable Gene Green, who serves in the 29th District, which is 
adjacent to the district that I serve. I want to thank my friend Gene 
Green because he is the original cosponsor of this legislation. He was 
there to help shape it, and it means something to know that you have a 
friend that you can work with to this extent.
  I want to thank my friend Congressman John Culberson. He is the first 
to make this legislation bipartisan. This is not a partisan issue. 
Flooding is not a partisan issue. The homes that are damaged, the lives 
that are lost, none of this is partisan. I am grateful to Congressman 
Culberson for signing onto this bill.
  I would like to thank the 60-plus cosponsors of this legislation who 
have said that they want to see what has been authorized materialized, 
such that, in Houston, Texas, we cannot only eliminate a lot of 
flooding--and we will. We can't eliminate all of it, but we can 
mitigate that which we cannot eliminate.
  I thank Chairman McCaul of the Homeland Security Committee. He 
published the letter for us, the members of the delegation, to sign and 
send to the President of the United States, asking that Texas have 
certain areas within the State declared disaster areas because of the 
horrific flooding that took place on what we call Tax Day.
  I thank the leadership for allowing us to have this team on the floor 
tonight on both sides. The leadership makes these things possible, and 
I am grateful to all leadership for doing this.
  Finally, I want to thank President Barack Obama because he did, Mr. 
Speaker, declare certain areas in Texas disaster areas so that we might 
receive the help of FEMA and funds to help people recover and to 
restore their lives and continue with their lives.
  So tonight I will say more about some of these things mentioned, but 
now I am asking to ask the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green), my 
colleague, who is the lead cosponsor of this, to have his commentary.
  Because his district has suffered greatly not just this time, but in 
the past, from these floods. I will not go into it. I will leave all to 
be said about it to him.
  But I think it appropriate that I acknowledge his great work in the 
Congress of the United States of America not only on this issue, but on 
many other issues impacting people within his district and across the 
length and breadth of this great country.

                              {time}  1830

  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and 
neighbor and friend for setting this Special Order tonight for what we 
call the tax day floods in Houston and Harris County, Texas.
  Our district was hit by flooding, but not near as much as in 
Congressman Al Green's, because I was in his district that week, and 
also in the neighboring districts, Congressman Culberson, Congresswoman 
Lee and Congressman McCaul, and Congressman Brady.
  But I was just looking at a memo. In our district, we have Hunting 
Bayou, which is part of the legislation, that was overflowed; and the 
people who live in that area, along Interstate 10 East, they cleaned 
out their homes, the Sheetrock and everything else, and it is literally 
a tragedy.

[[Page H2331]]

  On April 18, the city of Houston and Harris County, Texas, was 
subjected to paralyzing flooding which claimed the lives of 9 of our 
citizens and required the rescue of at least 1,200 others.
  Approximately 2,000 housing units were flooded, and we are currently 
working to figure out where to house the folks who cannot return to 
their homes.
  This is the second major flooding disaster Houston has experienced in 
the last 6 months. The city is expecting additional rain, even this 
weekend, tomorrow and Saturday.
  Residents of our congressional district, as well as other Members' 
districts, have been severely affected, and we must do everything we 
can to stop the needless loss of life.
  The President has recognized the significance of the catastrophe and 
fulfilled a request for a disaster declaration. Now it is the job of 
Congress to help our constituents. That is why I have worked closely 
with my neighbor and friend and colleague, Representative Al Green, to 
introduce the Tax Day Floods Supplemental Funding Act, H.R. 5025.
  The legislation would provide $311 million to the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers for the construction and, in most cases, completion of our 
bayou and flood projects in the Houston and Harris County, Texas, area.
  Flooding is not new to Houston, but we have learned how to control 
it. Our bayou system has saved countless lives and millions of dollars 
in damage since the creation of them. Unfortunately, due to the 
consistent budget pressure, the Army Corps of Engineers cannot 
adequately fund these projects.
  This bill would ensure that our Federal, State, and local authorities 
have the resources necessary to expedite these flood control projects 
we know protect people and property.
  My colleagues and I have requested the Director of FEMA and the 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to tour our districts and 
see the damage firsthand, and I renew that request again today.
  The support in the community is overwhelming. The Greater Houston 
Partnership, our chamber of commerce, supports this legislation, and 
they estimate that the total lost is about $1.9 billion.
  It is also supported by our local--in Harris County we created a 
flood control district that partners with the Corps of Engineers. Our 
Harris County Flood Control District also supports this legislation.
  Additionally, I want to make sure that the folks on the ground have 
the information they need to get back in their homes.
  FEMA has opened disaster centers in our community, but if you are not 
near one of those centers, you can apply to FEMA by phone. Call 1-800-
621-3362. That is 1-800-621-FEMA. 1-800-621-3362.
  FEMA can offer two types of assistance: housing assistance, temporary 
housing, money to help repair or replace your primary residence.
  Non-housing needs include medical, dental, funeral costs, clothing, 
household items, tools, home fuel, disaster-related moving and storage, 
replacement of a disaster-damaged vehicle. After 24 hours, FEMA will 
follow up with you.
  It is important in our district to know that, if your Spanish-
speaking households have children that are U.S. citizens or legal 
residents, FEMA can help you if there is a legal resident or a citizen 
living in that home.
  Mr. Speaker, it is important that we help victims in our 
neighborhoods so we can get back on top and help them.
  I urge our body, this House, to pass the emergency funding 
legislation and do so as quickly as we can.
  Again, I want to thank my colleague and friend. I was impressed that 
day when we were in his district, in Westbury, at the flooding and the 
outpouring of people.
  I have seen it in my district where people will literally move 
everything from their house; they have to throw it away. It is out on 
the curb. The city of Houston is cleaning it up as fast as they can, 
but we need to get these people back into their homes.
  But this bill that we have will make sure their homes are not flooded 
again because, that way, we don't need to have these repetitive floods 
like we have had in the last few years.
  Again, I want to thank my colleague for this Special Order tonight 
but, more importantly, I want to thank him for his leadership on this 
piece of legislation. I am proud to be his cosponsor.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank the gentleman very much. I greatly 
appreciate all that he has done to help us, especially coming into my 
district, and being there with the mayor, if you recall, who was there.
  We had a county commissioner in attendance, County Commissioner Gene 
Locke, Mayor Sylvester Turner, and persons from that neighborhood. This 
was not your district, but the people were people that the gentleman 
cared about, and they are grateful, as am I, for the gentleman's coming 
in and visiting with us.
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. If the gentleman will yield to me; we also 
had the press conference, and everybody was confused. We also have the 
gentleman's city council member, Larry Green. So they had Congressman 
Al Green, Congressman Eugene Green, and City Councilman Larry Green. 
They can call all of us and we will help them.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Absolutely. In Houston, Green is a good name 
if you want to become a member of the political order.
  Again, I thank my colleague.
  Let me elaborate for just a moment on the letter from the Greater 
Houston Partnership because a good many people are not aware that this 
is another way for us to say chamber of commerce in Texas. We have gone 
beyond a simple chamber of commerce. We call ours a partnership because 
it is an effort among the many to make sure that commerce excels, but 
also to make sure that people have great opportunities.
  Houston is a city of opportunity, and I want to thank the Greater 
Houston Partnership for the letter that has been sent to us supporting 
H.R. 5025.
  But now let's be a little bit more specific. I want to thank Mr. 
Jamey Rootes. He is the chairperson of the Greater Houston Partnership. 
He and I have been talking, and he has been working with me and with my 
colleagues to try to make sure that we have an opportunity to get our 
message out to the masses. He has done what he can to help us with this 
messaging, a message that includes the position of the Greater Houston 
Partnership, I must add.

  Also, Mr. Bob Harvey, who is the president and CEO of the Greater 
Houston Partnership. We made a call to them one morning, asking if they 
could get a letter to us indicating their support, and that afternoon 
we had the letter in hand, the letter that I hold in my hand currently. 
And that letter is, without question, a solid indication of support for 
this project.
  The last paragraph of it reads: ``We want to make sure that we do all 
that we can to help you and your staff as you consider every potential 
opportunity for Federal support. Please do not hesitate to call.'' And 
they give names and numbers.
  They are committed to doing what they can to not only help with this 
legislation, but to help people in their recoveries, and to prevent 
this from happening again.
  The Harris County Flood Control District, Mr. Michael Talbott, sent 
the letter, the executive director. And in his letter, he speaks of how 
this can benefit the Houston area to the amount of about $2.4 billion.
  He goes on to talk about the jobs that can be created--6,220 created 
if we can get this legislation done, if we can get this money into 
Houston.
  I must add this: this money is money that we will get eventually into 
Houston. This is not money that we won't ever get. These projects have 
been authorized. They are already in progress. It is just that we are 
getting the money in a piecemeal fashion, and we need a wholesale 
representation of this emolument for Houston, such that we can get on 
with these projects, such that we can prevent future damages, such that 
we can save lives. What we cannot eliminate, we can mitigate in terms 
of damages.
  So I am honored that the Corps of Engineers has these projects that 
they are working on, and I am especially honored that the Harris County 
Flood Control District has let us know that they are absolutely in 
support of what we are trying to accomplish with H.R. 5025.

[[Page H2332]]

  Now, having said all of these things and making it clear that this is 
money that has to be matched, that this is money that we will 
eventually acquire, I think it's appropriate for me to say this:
  This is about more than money. It is about more than things, 
inanimate objects. This is about more than homes and personal property, 
cars, and all of the things that we call creature comforts. It is about 
more than these things. It is about people. This legislation really is 
about human beings. It is about human beings who are in a recovery 
phase right now, many of them recovering from the tax day flood, some 
still recovering from the Memorial Day flood which took place last 
Memorial Day. Mr. Speaker, it is about these people, but not only these 
people, it is about people who lost their lives in this flood.
  My colleague mentioned that there were nine--nine persons, that we 
know of, lost their lives. And wouldn't it be a shame to remember the 
flood, remember the damages that were imposed upon the homes, and the 
cars, and the furniture, remember the damages, but not remember the 
people who lost their lives?
  So tonight I want to take just a moment on behalf of my colleague and 
many others in this House and just recognize, memorialize the lives 
that were lost in this horrific flood, a tragedy that, quite frankly, 
could have been mitigated if we had all of these projects to 
completion.
  Let's just remember these persons and not forget them. So with a 
degree of solemnity, I would like to just call their names and say a 
little bit about each of the nine.
  The first, German Antonio Franco. He was 66 years of age, Mr. 
Speaker. He was a retired HEB produce manager. HEB is one of our food 
stores. He also worked as a part-time contract limousine driver. This 
was a man who had children--three children and four grandchildren. The 
circumstances of his death are that he died after an encounter with 
high water, something we will see consistently as I go through this. 
But he lost his life in Houston, Texas, in a flood.
  I would like to mention Ms. Claudia, last name is Melgar. Claudia 
Melgar. She lost her life, 25 years of age. She was a college student. 
She died in an encounter with high water.
  Now, there are those who would say that you can avoid an encounter 
with high water. I believe that in many circumstances you can, but in 
Houston, Texas, we have what are known as flash floods, floods that 
occur in a flash, and there are many times when you can be caught in a 
circumstance such that you cannot extricate yourself.
  Because of this, the waters will envelop you and you will find 
yourself in a position such that you cannot even leave the car that you 
are in because of the way the electronics can malfunction. And if you 
don't have some device, some tool to break windows, to move yourself 
through some passageway other than that door, you will find yourself in 
harm's way and you can lose your life.

                              {time}  1845

  This has happened to many people. It happened to Claudia.
  I would also like to mention Pedro Rascon Morales, 61 years of age. 
He was a big rig driver, a father, and a grandfather. He died in the 
cab of his 18-wheeler while trapped in a flooded roadway in Houston, 
Texas.
  All of these persons are in and around the Houston area. They all 
lost their lives in water due to flooding with the tax day floods as we 
call them. These are lives that we can never forget. I think that we 
should remember the damages that were caused to property and the 
destruction, but we shouldn't forget the lives that were lost because 
there are families that are grieving to this day because they lost 
people that they loved.
  These were the daughters and sons of somebody, and we should never 
forget that they lived and that they lost their lives, some, I might 
add, in a needless circumstance--this is my opinion--because of our not 
fulfilling our obligation to fund what has been authorized.
  Next, we have Charles Edward Odum, 56 years of age, seventh grade 
social studies teacher, married, with two children. Circumstances of 
his death: died after encountering high water.
  Then there was Teri White Rodriguez, 41 years of age, a wife and 
mother of three. Circumstances of death: died in her vehicle after an 
encounter with high water, an encounter with high water in Houston, 
Texas.
  It was an unfortunate circumstance, and we should not forget that 
lives were lost.
  I know it is going to be easy for many of us to go on with our lives. 
This will be put behind us. We have a moment when we focus on these 
things, but life is such that there are so many other things that we 
encounter that our focus is lost or that we focus on something else. 
That is important, so I don't begrudge anybody who has to focus on 
other things. I just believe that I have a duty, an obligation, and a 
responsibility to make sure that we don't forget these lives that were 
lost. There will be others, but we don't want to forget these. There 
have been others, but we won't forget these.
  We won't forget Sunita Singh, 49, an electrical engineer, a wife and 
a mother of two children, drowned in her car after an encounter with 
high water.
  Let's not forget Suresh Kumar Talluri, 49, a husband and father of 
two young children ages 6 and 8, drowned in his car after he was 
trapped by high water.
  We shouldn't forget and we should commemorate the life of Dharamendra 
Uppal. This is an unfortunate circumstance wherein we have the age of 
the person undisclosed, the circumstances of the death undisclosed in 
the sense that we don't know personal information about this person who 
lost his life, or her. I am assuming that from the name it was a 
female, but this person died and was found deceased in his car, a male, 
deceased in his car which appears to have been submerged. He was a 
male. The name is important. The identity is not known completely 
because we don't know the age and we don't have personal information.
  Then there is a woman with an undisclosed name, with no personal 
information available to us at this time who drowned after an encounter 
with high water.
  All of these unfortunate circumstances involved people. I want to 
make sure tonight that while we will talk about the billions of dollars 
in damages--and there were billions of dollars in damages, billions of 
dollars. It is estimated that it is as high as $8 billion in damages 
when you combine the Memorial Day flood with the tax day flood, as much 
as $8 billion.
  That $8 billion, by the way, is 25 times the $311 million that we 
might use to take preventive action.
  This money will not go to help people get new homes. This money won't 
go to help people get personal items that have been destroyed. All of 
this money will go to projects that have been authorized, projects 
that, if completed, can possibly prevent the loss of future lives and 
projects that, if they had been completed, may have prevented the loss 
of some of these lives.
  So I take it as my personal responsibility to call this to the 
attention of this House and to ask my colleagues to please consider 
H.R. 5025. The President has declared the area that I am speaking of as 
a disaster area. FEMA is there. This is an opportunity for us to act. 
We have done it before, and we should do it now.
  I want to assure my colleagues that, when there is a disaster of this 
magnitude, you can count on our good offices being with you to help you 
through your time of need. We understand that we should be there for 
people. This is what we have done in the past, whether it was Sandy, 
hurricanes, or whether it was tornadic activities. Whether it is fires 
or hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, we want to be there for our people.
  This is our country, and a country is more than bricks, buildings, 
skyscrapers, and military. It is people who live ordinary lives, who 
expect that they would have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams, to 
go to work and come home safely and not find themselves in harm's way 
by virtue of waters that are not expected, floodwaters that can come in 
a flash and take them away.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues who have signed on to this 
piece of legislation. I want to again thank the President of the United 
States, the Honorable Barack Obama,

[[Page H2333]]

for making his desires known by declaring certain areas in Texas a 
disaster area. I thank the Governor of the State, by the way, Mr. 
Speaker, because he acted quickly, swiftly, and promptly to make the 
request of the President.
  I have mentioned Mr. McCaul. I thank the gentleman again for his 
actions in circulating the letter so that all of the members of the 
Texas delegation could be on it requesting that certain areas in Texas 
receive this attention from the President.
  Finally, I know that these are difficult times for us across the 
Nation and across the world. There are many things that are happening 
that are challenging for us. But among these things, let us not forget 
that there were people who lost their lives in Houston, Texas, and let 
us not forget that these floods occur with a degree of regularity such 
that it is predictable that it will happen again.
  We can prognosticate now that this will happen again. If it does, I 
will find myself back here as a reminder that there are things that we 
could have done, should have done, and hopefully will do to eliminate 
much of the flooding and mitigate that which we cannot eliminate. I am 
grateful.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________