Listen
Mayor Sylvester Turner wants more federal financial assistance.
“We need dollars for a third reservoir up in the West Houston area. That’s about $500 million.”
He says Texans need the same kind of federal assistance that Louisiana received after Hurricane Katrina, and that New York and New Jersey got following Hurricane Sandy. But he says what’s offered so far is not enough.
“The $44 billion that was recommended by the Office of management and Budget in D.C. for Texas, California, Florida, Puerto Rico and the islands — woefully inadequate. They’re just giving us enough funding for what I call failure, and that doesn’t serve anyone’s purposes.”
Mayor Turner says Washington will not commit federal funds until the state taps its “Rainy Day Fund.”
“What the administration in D.C., what the administration has said to Texas is that we don’t need to send any additional dollars because you all have dollars in your Rainy Day Fund that you all are not tapping.”
Mayor Turner says more funding is needed for detention basins, expanding the bayous, for buyouts and home elevation, as well as for a third reservoir.