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September 30, 2007

Who is watching out for Harris County’s flood-vulnerable homes?

 
By Congressman Gene Green
 
Washington, DC - It has been a while since Harris County was hit directly by a hurricane. But given our proximity to the Gulf, we may be up to our foreheads in floodwater when we finally find ourselves in the bull’s eye. We only have to look next door to Louisiana to see the worst-case scenario of the consequences of a neglected flood control system. The House has recently been working on this problem via three major pieces of legislation.

 

Last week, after years of water resource neglect from leadership, Congress passed the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA), which, among other worthy projects, would help Harris County modernize its flood control system and avoid potential weather-related disasters. When this bill arrives on President Bush’s desk, he will have the opportunity to prevent flooding and water damage from unforeseeable but inevitable natural disasters in our area. Unfortunately, the president has said that he will veto this legislation.

 

Although Harris County’s network of bayous naturally directs floodwaters away from our homes, erosion and other problems force us to maintain the waterways with efficient drains, detention basins, and widened channel capacity. Historic flooding along Halls Bayou in North Houston has been severe and frequent in recent years. During Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001, it was hit very hard. More than 15,000 homes flooded within the Greens Bayou watershed, including 8,000 in Halls Bayou.  Some of this damage was preventable. While a flood control project can’t keep all homes from flooding, it can help reduce the risk of flooding for a significant number of families, reducing property damage, loss of life, and the need for federal assistance.

 

If President Bush signs WRDA, it will create the Halls Bayou Federal Flood Control Project, which would help protect our homes from future weather events that could be even worse than Allison.

 

WRDA would authorize federal funds to pay for approximately 65 percent of the Halls Bayou Flood Control Project. And, if the bill becomes law, the Harris County Flood Control District can begin work and receive federal reimbursement. This is similar to improvements in our other bayou systems.

 

WRDA strikes a balance between the need to improve water resources for human purposes and to preserve our water uses for the environment and future generations. The projects in this bill are much needed.

 

This summer, the House also passed the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. This bill, which awaits a vote in the Senate, would provide $18.3 million for the Houston Ship Channel Navigation Project and $15.4 million for the Channel’s operations and maintenance. The navigation funding would go toward important environmental restoration work in the project to deepen and widen the Channel. The bill also includes $588,000 to finish study in preparation for Greens Bayou flood protection projects. These provisions ensure a well-preserved environment while promoting the trade and transportation that keeps our economy vital.

 

On September 27, the House passed the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act of 2007 (FIRM). Many homes in our area are built near, but outside of, the official boundaries of a floodplain. Because these boundaries change from time to time, homeowners may suddenly find themselves inside a floodplain they thought they had safely avoided.  FIRM will make flood insurance more affordable for these people.  

 

Thousands of people in our area suffered substantial flood damage to their homes and businesses during Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, but many of these losses were mitigated because they had federal flood insurance. Unfortunately, not everyone who needed flood insurance could afford to purchase a policy.  Because of a recent redraw of Houston’s floodplain map, many folks were brought into the 100-year flood plain, but could not afford flood insurance. 

 

As a consequence of my constituents’ experience, I was proud to amend FIRM with the Low Income Families Flood Insurance Access Act. The amendment provides a five-year phase-in of flood insurance premiums for homeowners or renters whose primary residence -- valued at less than 75% of the median home value in a state -- is placed within a floodplain through an updating of the flood insurance program maps. Because the median home value in Texas is $114,000, homes valued under approximately $85,500 would be included.   

 

This will make the NFIP program more affordable for homeowners, increasing the proportion of vulnerable homes that are insured, and decreasing the likelihood of a taxpayer bailout. By providing an incentive for those who are most vulnerable to huge losses in floods to get the protection they need at a price they can budget for, the American taxpayer will not be stuck with the bill in the event of a damaging flood.

 

This bill also updates maximum insurance coverage limits for both residential and nonresidential properties for the first time since 1994. It requires FEMA to report to Congress on NFIP’s financial status and to conduct a thorough review of the nation’s flood maps. The bill also directs that disclosures to customers about flood insurance made in plain English, and not legalese.

 

With these three major pieces of legislation, Congress has taken major steps toward ensuring the physical and economic security of Harris County residents. I urge the Senate and President Bush to expedite the bills’ progress in order to keep us safer, sooner; but the ultimate success of the legislation may depend on your support and input.

 

For more information on the work the Harris County Flood Control District is doing to keep our bayous and the East Harris County area safe, you can visit http://www.hcfcd.org/P_geninfo.html.

 

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