Earl Blumenauer: “I appreciate people coming together to focus on the heroic efforts that have taken place in Houston in the aftermath of…”

“I appreciate people coming together to focus on the heroic efforts that have taken place in Houston in the aftermath of this terrible storm, but I hope we also focus on what we can do to prevent it in the future. We should as a Congress invest in Project Impact which helps prepare communities before disaster occurs, rather than to cut it, as has been suggested by the administration. We have need to reform the flood insurance program so it no longer subsidizes people to live in places where God repeatedly shows that He does not want them. It is important that we not ignore global climate change, because the scientists tell us if we are not careful, global climate change is going to make these horrible events that occurred in Houston far more frequent and far worse. Mr. Speaker, this is an opportunity for us in Congress not only to reflect on the heroism that took place and to mourn the loss, but for us to step forward to take our responsibility to make sure that we are doing everything possible so that it does not occur in the future.”