Hurricanes' Destruction and Cost
Floor Speech
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Mr. Speaker, in all my years, I have seen a lot of storms, a lot of hurricanes, a lot of floods, a lot of tropical depressions, a lot of rains in Texas. We have a whole variety of weather in Texas and a lot of just about every calamity weather-wise you can think of. I have seen nothing come close to Hurricane Harvey.
In 24 hours, we went from Tropical Storm Harvey to Category 4 Hurricane Harvey. As with most hurricanes, there was no rhyme or reason for the destruction and the ensuing devastation. Harvey's bands of rains sat on southeast Texas with a vengeance and for days on end, and the situation turned quickly from bad to worse.
Mr. Speaker, we got 51 to 53 inches of rain in 3 to 4 days. That part of Texas' annual rainfall is about 53 inches a year. We got a whole year's worth of rainfall in under a week's time. Our great first responders, our volunteers, risked their lives time and time again to save others.
When the Nation saw that we needed help, the boats and the people just kept coming. We got the Cajun Navy from Louisiana; 100 guys with their own boats came to help us. They did things we didn't think were possible, so I coined a new phrase, ``Cajuneering.'' They came in and really helped us. We saw neighbors and strangers alike step up to help each other. That is the Texas way.
When the Nation saw that we needed help, people came pouring in. More than that, it is not just the Texas way, it is the American way. No matter our creed, our color, our religion or background, we are all united and we work together. Harvey may have brought the downpour, but Texans and Americans brought the outpour.
Texas 14 is arguably ground zero for flooding and devastation. My district, from Brazoria County to Jefferson
County, the enormity and the severity of Harvey, sadly, is on full display. Entire neighborhoods were underwater. How do you recover from that? Your family and your house is underwater, your cars are underwater, your furniture, and, sadly, even some of your most prized and precious heirlooms, family photos and pictures and albums, how do you overcome that?
Well, I will tell you, by working together. Everyone back home in our great State knows someone who needs help, and everyone back home is doing their part to help that person in need.
In all the devastation and destruction, the hope and determination shared among Texans was absolutely remarkable. Harvey may have deluged our State with rain and with water, but he certainly did not dampen our spirit.
One month ago today, Harvey made landfall between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, the eye of the hurricane. A few days later, Harvey swung back into the Gulf and made landfall just west of Cameron, Louisiana.
We literally had a 3-day weather event. Harvey came on shore there by Rockport-Corpus Christi. We got the bands of rain coming up in the hurricane as he came ashore. He then went up north and stayed around for a day or two dumping rain on all of our rivers and streams upstream from us and our watersheds. Then he came back down to southeast Texas, down on the coast, and he worked right over, as I said, in Louisiana.
Then after Harvey came Hurricane Irma; after Irma came Jose; and after Jose came Maria. It has been a historic time.
As of Sunday, September 24--let this sink in--817,758 people are registered for disaster assistance. FEMA has distributed $502.6 million in housing assistance and $160.2 million in other assistance. In the one month since Harvey, the first of a series of hurricanes, FEMA has completed 239,612 inspections. Almost 22,000 people are living in hotels because they have no home to return to. That number doesn't even include those who are staying with family and friends.
The Small Business Administration has approved $509.4 million. Homeowners have received, to date, $467.3 million in loans. Businesses have received $42 million in loans. Earlier this month, we passed out of this Chamber, with overwhelming bipartisan support, a $15 billion relief bill. Two or three more of those bills, at a minimum, are expected. Folks, the monetary damages are adding up to over $150 billion, with a ``B.''
There are five business recovery centers in Texas. There are 41 disaster recovery centers. Over 30-something Texas counties were named in the disaster declaration.
Folks, these are just numbers. They are mind-boggling. You can see the pictures here beside me. Those numbers don't really tell the whole story. Let me tell you: behind those numbers are people; behind those numbers are families; behind those numbers are homes, livelihoods, and businesses. The lives of our great Texans are behind those numbers. Our people are hurting, but they will not let a hurricane keep them down.
Wrapped up in all of the devastation is a bunch of heroes and first responders. I have already talked about the Cajun Navy. I can talk about the States that sent firefighters and first responders from all over this great country of ours. So behind the devastation is a bunch of American heroes. Behind that devastation is a bunch of love, people doing things for others that just makes your heart feel good. Behind that devastation is a bunch of hope that we really are one Nation under God, with liberty and justice and help and mercy for all. Behind that devastation is a bunch of Americans.
Hurricane Harvey reminded us of our deepest, truest American values. United we can accomplish just about anything.
Mr. Speaker, I am going to open up the floor for some of my colleagues. As I said earlier, our great 14th Congressional District is, arguably, ground zero for flooding and devastation, but I have a lot more colleagues here on the floor with us that all have a story to tell.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), the distinguished chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Chairman McCaul has worked closely with FEMA and many of our first responders. His district saw quite a bit of water as well, and I appreciate his direct involvement and his willingness to be there.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Farenthold for his comments. The 27th District of Texas is blessed to have him. A little background: On Friday, August 25, some of the outer bands of Harvey were beginning to brush the Gulf
Coast. Texans do what we always do to prepare for a storm. We bought the essentials. We prepped the house. We tightened things up. We watched the news. We were as ready for the rain, we thought, as we would ever be.
But what happened, in my 64 years on God's green Earth, is unlike anything I have ever seen before like this. And I am no stranger to the area. I have lived in a 20-mile radius almost my entire life. I hope I have got a lot more to go yet.
We didn't see the sun for 4 days. Over 50 inches of rain, as reported by the weather forecasters on TV news, fell from the sky. Actually, it was about 60 inches in District 4--7, rather, in Jefferson County.
Evacuation orders, mandatory and voluntary, were posted. City after city started posting the notices. Roads were flooded. Some of them had hip-deep water, some of them more.
Now, I am a Texan, kind of like Judge Poe said. Two things apply to me, especially apply to me as a Texan: number one, I am stubborn, and, number two, I have one of those pickup trucks he talked about; although, I don't have a half-ton truck. I have got a Ford F-350 4- wheel drive truck, and I can go through almost waist-deep water.
Starting Saturday, my bride and I began traveling Texas 14, checking on people. We went first to Brazoria County and met with their EOC, emergency operations center. We went to the Hitchcock shelter. We met with volunteers in those shelters. We met with people from the La Marque Police Department, all over, our first responders.
Our first responders worked endless hours and hours. I tell you what, it was heartwarming; and I tell you what, Mr. Speaker, you have never seen anything like that.
From Bay Area Church to the families from League City and Dickinson that sought shelter, we were there with them. At Victory Lakes, we saw much of the same thing in the school there at Victory Lakes and League City.
At Friendswood High School, I met with evacuees, responders, doctors who had come in from other States to be there to help. These are just a handful of the shelters that popped up. These shelters and the volunteers provided a dry place with warm food and warm, friendly smiles, understanding smiles, to hundreds of families in need. That is no exaggeration.
Homes that never came close to flooding were taking on water. Roads turned into rivers. Evacuations and rescues were happening everywhere you looked around.
Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have left?
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I thank the gentleman for that. You know, we were moving throughout our district, as I was describing. Folks, the sound of a helicopter will never be the same for us. We saw Coast Guard helicopters. We saw Army, Marine helicopters.
The Marines arrived in Friendswood. The sun made a brief appearance on Tuesday evening. I found myself on I-45 in Dickinson passing out water on the overpass there, where the water was about 4 feet deep in the intersection.
Things kept turning from bad to worse. I was honored to meet with EOC leaders from Brazoria, Dickinson, Galveston, and Beaumont.
On Tuesday, August 29, in Friendswood, Texas, the Marines arrived. Thank God for our great Marines.
On Friday, August 31, Beaumont lost water. My bride and I drove almost 7 hours, having to take back road after back road to deliver three pallets of bottled water. My good friend Dwight Sullivan and his wife, Misty, accompanied us with another pallet of water.
We got to Beaumont. I want to gave Mayor Becky Ames of Beaumont a shout-out. She never wavered. She was a stalwart.
Will Crenshaw from Beaumont, Dragon Products, they got in gear and they put a workaround on the water system, laid temporary pipes, got them power, got pumps and got Beaumont some water.
That is just the short version of the first week of Harvey. The sun finally started to shine again, but the water did not recede overnight. We took many flyovers to assess the damage. President Trump came in. Senator Cornyn, Senator Cruz, Speaker Ryan, and leader Kevin McCarthy were among the many who visited.
Help came from far and wide: New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota. I could go down the list of State after State after State, all Americans, all wanting to help. And, of course, Louisiana and the Cajun Navy we talked about.
Between the Cajun Navy, our Texans, our fellow Americans, there were many countless heroes who haven't been named and many haven't even been thanked at all. So to all of them, I want to say thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the lives you have saved. I witnessed some of the evacuations. Thank you for your heroism. I just can't tell you enough, thank you on behalf of us.
We saws doctors send supplies. We saw hospitals pay for things that normally they would charge for. We saw cattle and horses wading through water. We saw businesses open up their doors and help people. We saw a mother and daughter who took hundreds of evacuees into a Texas City hotel for a home-cooked meal of spaghetti, salad, fresh fruit, and dessert.
You were heroes, Lakewood Church, who did open their doors and provided transportation for the congregants of Beth Yeshurun synagogue.
You heroes were the citizens who saw the incredible effort of your local officials, and you raised money for them to begin recovering for their own homes and their belongings.
The heroes were the young men, hoping to attend the Naval Academy one day, who jumped in that jon boat and went door to door to help.
You were the people who were scared to death in the face of disaster, and yet you put on a brave face and you waded in, unabashed.
You were the people who lost everything, and your first thought was: I need to get back to help my community.
You heroes were the first responders who worked around the clock.
Beaumont, alone, received 12,022 911 calls. Let that sink in. That's one city, 12,000 911 calls.
Well, we are going to have more meetings. We are going to be meeting with city officials, State officials. We will be meeting with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who, by the way, tomorrow is his birthday. We want to thank Mayor Sylvester Turner, County Judge Ed Emmett, County Judge Matt Sebesta, County Judge Mark Henry, all great heroes.
God bless our heroes. God bless Texas, our great Nation, and all of those who went beyond and above.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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