[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 162 (Monday, September 20, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H4534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HURRICANE IDA BUILDING BACK BETTER

  (Mr. CARTER of Louisiana asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I was in New Orleans when 
Hurricane Katrina made landfall. In the aftermath, the community came 
together with Federal and State partners to invest in a regional levee 
system to protect the New Orleans area from major flooding.
  Sixteen years later, Hurricane Ida hit southeast Louisiana with 
roaring winds of around 150 miles per hour. Power lines snapped like 
popsicle sticks.
  Luckily, the investments we made in flood protection largely worked. 
The levees held.
  Sadly, other areas outside of the risk reduction zone were still 
heavily flooded. Sadly, we find ourselves in a situation that is all 
too familiar. Our power grid was destroyed, leaving around 1 million-
plus people without power in the sweltering heat in southeast 
Louisiana.
  Hurricanes are predicted to become more frequent and more intense due 
to climate change.
  The question is: Will our infrastructure be ready?
  The needed investments to save lives were made after Katrina. As the 
Ida recovery continues, we must future-proof our power grid and levees 
to build back better.

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