Surveying Flood Damage in the Houston Area

Last week, I joined Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) and members of the Texas congressional delegation in Houston to survey areas damaged by Hurricane Harvey and remind them of the damage we suffered to the south.
 
First, our group received a briefing from federal, state, and local officials including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Texas National Guard, Harris County Flood Control District and the U.S. Coast Guard on Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts in Houston. Then, our group took an aerial tour of the storm devastation and infrastructure.
 
After surveying the damage, we put on hard hats and rolled up our sleeves to help local residents with demolition and clean up in flood-damaged neighborhoods. While Houston and points east suffered substantial flood damage, areas to the south including Port Aransas, Aransas Pass, Rockport, Ingleside and Refugio suffered severe wind damage. During the coming months I will continue working with state, local, and federal governments to make sure our residents in TX-27 are not forgotten and receive the assistance needed to rebuild.