[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 79 (Wednesday, May 18, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H2709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HOUSTON, TEXAS, FLOODING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Al Green) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this is a continuation of my 
mission of mercy, a mission that I gladly accept because a great 
American city has been declared a disaster area: a great American city 
with 2-plus million people, a great American city where we speak more 
than 100 different languages, a great American city where we appreciate 
diversity and we celebrate it. In fact, we have developed a symbiotic 
relationship, a symbiosis such that we can do together what we could 
never do apart. A great American city, Houston, Texas, within Harris 
County, has been declared a disaster area; and it has been declared a 
disaster area, Mr. Speaker, because of the flooding that takes place in 
Houston, Texas.
  I asked that my staff prepare some intelligence for me to share so as 
to paint a picture of what this flooding is like in Houston, Texas.
  In Houston, Texas, on the tax day flood--so-called because it was the 
last day to file for taxes this year--we had this tax day flood, and it 
has caused damages that will approximate $2 billion. The good news is 
that that is revised down because the estimate initially was that it 
would be more.
  In Houston, Texas, over 100 neighborhoods experienced some flooding.
  In Houston, Texas, a great American city, we had 240 billion--billion 
with a B--240 billion gallons of water. A billion is still 1,000 
million. So we have had 2,000-million-plus gallons of water in Houston, 
Texas. And that was on one day. This is enough water to fill the 
Astrodome 750 times over.
  In Houston, Texas, we had more than 1,200 high water rescues, people 
stranded, lives at risk in Houston, Texas, a major American city, a 
great American city declared a disaster area.
  In Houston, Texas, there was 8.85 inches of rainfall--that broke the 
previous record from 1976--and, I might add, in some areas, 17 inches 
of water. That was all a part of the tax day floods. There were 121,000 
people without power.
  Mr. Speaker, this is significant, but it is also significant to note 
that this is not the first time. Within the last year, 12 months, we 
had the Memorial Day flood, with similar circumstances and $2 billion 
in damages.
  Mr. Speaker, over the last 20 years, we have had at least one day of 
flooding in Houston, Texas, that has been called to the attention of 
the people in Washington, D.C., and I'm doing so now.

                              {time}  1100

  Mr. Speaker, as bad as these things are, all of these damages that I 
have called to our attention, there is something more significant, 
something more meaningful that is happening in Houston, Texas, and that 
is lives are being lost. In the tax day flood, we lost nine lives, Mr. 
Speaker--nine lives--people who left home going to work, assuming that 
they would drive their cars and return home.
  Mr. Speaker, we have, in Houston, what are called flash floods. Even 
people who are judicious and prudent can sometimes find themselves in 
circumstances from which they cannot extricate themselves because of 
the way the water comes in so quickly--flash floods, nine lives lost, a 
great American city declared a disaster area.
  Houston needs a lifeline. When you are drowning in water, you need a 
lifeline. Well, there is a lifeline. The lifeline is H.R. 5025, the 
2016 Tax Day Floods Supplemental Funding Act. This is a supplemental 
funding bill, which means it is not an earmark. It is the kind of thing 
we do when we have emergencies to contend with. We have done this 
before when we have had the storms on the East Coast. We have done this 
before, when we had New Orleans, Louisiana, and Katrina. We have done 
it when we have had fires. We have done it when we have had the 
tornadic activities. This is reasonable. It is prudent. It is 
judicious. It is something we ought to do to rescue, to throw a 
lifeline to a great American city that has been declared a disaster 
area.
  Well, the good news is, Mr. Speaker, we are recovering; but I hate to 
say, and I regret to say, I am reluctant to say, we are not out of the 
woods yet. We are not out of the woods yet, Mr. Speaker, because today 
there is an 80 percent chance of precipitation. Tomorrow, there is an 
80 percent chance.
  I beg that we support H.R. 5025 and extend a lifeline to Houston, 
Texas, a great American city.

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