[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12497]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     THE STATISTICS ARE DEVASTATING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Quigley) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, last month the Nation watched as our 
friends in Louisiana were inundated by record rainfall and 
unprecedented flooding. More than 7 trillion gallons of water fell in 
Louisiana and Mississippi over 8 days. Thirteen lives have been lost. 
More than 7,000 people were forced into 37 shelters across Louisiana. 
There has been an estimated $110 million in agricultural losses, and 
40,000 homes have been damaged.
  Just a few weeks before the devastating floods in the South, in 
Ellicott City, Maryland, not too far away from here, nearly 6 inches of 
rain fell in less than 2 hours, resulting in a torrential flood, the 
likes of which NOAA has told us happens just once every 1,000 years. 
Officials say that 90 businesses and 107 homes were damaged and that 
infrastructure repairs are estimated to cost at least $22 million.
  These statistics are devastating, and, if we fail to better prepare 
ourselves for the severe impacts of manmade climate change, we will 
only see more disasters like this.
  First responders and emergency professionals deserve our utmost 
praise and admiration, as do the kind citizens on the streets who help 
their neighbors escape the rushing waters, and the people all over the 
country who contribute what they can to help put broken cities back 
together. But we must stop putting our heroes in harm's way.
  The science is clear, it is conclusive, and it is settled: these 
natural disasters aren't all natural. It is imperative that we work to 
limit our impact on the climate, but we must also prepare for the 
climate impacts that are now inevitable. Prioritizing disaster 
preparedness by being thoughtful about where and how we construct 
homes, businesses, and other vital infrastructure will save lives, will 
save homes, and will save money.
  Devastating weather events are occurring with greater frequency than 
ever before. Today, the Northeast, Midwest, and upper Great Plains 
regions see 30 percent more heavy rainfall than they did in the first 
half of the 20th century, and manmade climate change is already 
impacting the lives of every single American.
  Even if you are not one of the millions who have suffered from 
extreme heat, widespread drought, or catastrophic flooding, your tax 
dollars have gone to help those who have. Acting before disasters 
strike is the only way to reduce the strain on local, State, and 
Federal emergency response systems, especially as they gear up to 
handle the predictable and unpredictable changes that climate change 
will bring.
  I am proud to say that my hometown of Chicago is among the 20 percent 
of global cities that have an adaptation plan to deal with the 
increased heat, urban flooding, and severe storms that climate change 
will bring. But it is vital that cities and towns across America also 
prepare. Responding to climate change demands urgent and decisive 
action.
  This is not a coastal issue, and it is not a partisan issue. Rising 
seas and severe storms don't care if you are a Democrat or a 
Republican. All Americans are in this together, and all Americans--
including Members of Congress--must be prepared to deal with climate 
impacts such as severe flooding. Together we must act to hasten the 
transition to a low-carbon future that protects our communities from 
the impacts of climate change. The costs of not doing so, in lives, in 
trillions of dollars, and in changes to our way of life, are too great.

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