Washington, Apr 1, 2006 -

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Congressman John Carter (TX-31) today joined members of the Texas delegation today in requesting that the State of Texas receive sufficient hurricane disaster relief assistance. In a letter to the Appropriations Committee, the Texas Members asked that Texas be compensated approximately $2 billion for additional hurricane relief.

“It is important to remember that Hurricane Katrina was not the only hurricane to ravage the Gulf Coast late in 2005. The Southeast Texas coast suffered billions in damages at the hand of Hurricane Rita just weeks after thousands of evacuees fled to shelters in Texas,” Congressman Carter said. “During these difficult times of rebuilding and recovery, it is important that we support all areas that suffered catastrophic damage. We are simply asking that Texas receive comparable compensation for the losses caused by the damaging hurricane so recovery efforts might continue.”

Below please find the full text of the letter as signed by members of the Texas Congressional Delegation:

Dear Chairman Lewis and Ranking Member Obey:

The Administration recently sent a supplemental appropriations request to Congress which will include almost $20 billion for additional hurricane relief.  As the Appropriations committee works to create a supplemental appropriations package, we would like to bring to your attention the overwhelming need for sufficient hurricane disaster relief assistance in the State of Texas.

When Hurricane Katrina hit, a majority of evacuees fled to shelters in Texas.  Without condition or second thought, Texans opened their hearts, homes and wallets to almost a half a million victims of Hurricane Katrina.  While the Federal Government, some state and local governments continue to count these individuals and families as residents of their prospective areas, the reality is that they are now, and in many cases will remain Texans.  This sudden influx of new residents has placed a strain on our resources.

After Texans' spent a month aiding our neighbors in need, Hurricane Rita slammed Texas causing catastrophic damages.  In Southeast Texas, more than 27,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and thousands of businesses suffered heavy damage.  The region's electrical grid was crippled and critical infrastructure throughout the region was left in ruin.  The complete costs for Rita, as well as the ongoing costs for Katrina evacuees, continues to be tallied.  However, Southeast Texas has documented over $1.3 billion in damages due to the overwhelming impact of Hurricane Rita alone.

This unprecedented set of circumstances and destruction has left our State and its people in a desperate financial struggle to cope with recovery expenses in the billions of dollars.  We were dismayed when Texas was allocated only $74.5 million, or less than 1%, of the Community Development Block Grants Congress appropriated to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide disaster relief, long-term recovery, and restoration of infrastructure to States impacted by the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico last year.  We respect the fact that our neighbors in Louisiana and Mississippi suffered immeasurable damage from Hurricane Katrina, and that they have immense recovery needs.  However, clearly, Congress intended that Texas receive a far greater share of the Community Development Block Grant funding.  Therefore, we look to you and other appropriators to now provide a sufficient level of funding to assist Texas with its recovery.

The State of Texas has identified approximately $2 billion in hurricane recovery needs left outstanding. We respectfully request response to Texas’ needs in the House version of the upcoming supplemental appropriations package. The attached document details Texas’ identified needs. Additionally, we would like to work with the committee to identify legislative language to allow for maximum flexibility of current funding streams as well as identify proper placement of Texas’ long term hurricane recovery needs in regular appropriations vehicles. 

We implore you to help us insure Texas has an equal opportunity to secure its fair share of critical hurricane recovery funding. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to working with you. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions or desire further information. 

The Texas Congressional Delegation