(Houston, TX) – Today, three years after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) hosted a roundtable with Houston flood group leaders and experts to discuss progress made in recovery efforts and what more can be done.  This discussion comes as Hurricane Laura approaches Texas with potential impacts in the region. 

“Today, we mark the three-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey—and I began it on the phone with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Red Cross to discuss Hurricane Laura.  This will be a challenging week, in a challenging year, but as we navigate the impacts of Laura during a pandemic that has altered all of our lives, I am reminded of the lessons we learned during Hurricane Harvey,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.

“Most important, we learned what we can accomplish when we come together as a community to help one another.  I was glad to convene this roundtable today to discuss the progress made and the work left to do, and I am incredibly grateful to today’s roundtable participants who, while preparing for Hurricane Laura, also took time to discuss what three years after Hurricane Harvey means for our community.”  

Today’s roundtable participants included: 

• Jim Blackburn, Co-Director of Severe Storm Prevention, Education and Evacuation from Disaster (SPEED) Center, Bayou City Initiative
• Charles Irvine, Irvine & Conner, PLLC
• Taylor Landin, Greater Houston Partnership
• Judith McGlaughlin, One Creek West
• Mary Anne Piacentini, President and CEO, Katy Prairie Conservancy 
• Alan Steinberg, West Houston Association
• Marcus Stuckett, Engineering Division Director, Harris County Flood Control District
• Marlin Williford, Barker Flood Prevention

Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher has worked with city, county, and federal officials on both sides of the aisle to make sure Texas’ Seventh Congressional District can get the resources it needs for recovery efforts and to implement policies to rebuild and prepare for future storms.  She has: 

• Led the bipartisan effort to expedite delivery of $4 billion in federal disaster relief funds from HUD, which was signed into law by President Trump. 
• Led a bipartisan amendment to provide an additional $45 million in additional relief for households affected by Hurricane Harvey, which has passed the House. 
• Wrote the bipartisan HELP Act as her first standalone bill to cut through federal red tape and allow disaster relief projects to begin sooner.  This bill has passed the House of Representatives with broad support and has been introduced in the Senate. 
• Led bipartisan legislation, the Built to Last Act, to use science and date to protect infrastructure against the risks of strong weather events.
• Included provisions in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 to invest in Houston’s water infrastructure and improve flood protection projects in the Houston region, including authorization for: 
  • the project to widen the Houston Ship Channel;
  • a new federal study to uncover gaps in flood management coordination between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other agencies; and
  • increasing the federal share of local natural infrastructure projects designed to increase resiliency.