Houston Seeks Path To Recovery After Hurricane Harvey

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner Monday requested Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to supply his city with money from the state's $10 billion so-called Rainy Day fund to finance a $70 million phase-1 clean-up of damages left by Hurricane Harvey that hit the city on August 26 and lasted nine days. The city has already taken $20 million from its reserve and needs $50 million more for immediate work on recovery.

"Using the Rainy Day Fund is appropriate for the response to a natural disaster such as Harvey that has wreaked significant damage and caused our local governments to incur unanticipated costs far beyond their budgets," the mayor said from his office Tuesday. "Without aid from the state fund, the city will be forced to increase its property tax rate on an emergency basis for 12 months to help pay its recovery bills."

The mayor's office is seeking City Council approval for an increase in taxes that would cost the owner of an average Houston dwelling $4.03 per month for a year. The city council is scheduled to vote on Turner's tax proposal next month. Two more city meetings will be held to discuss the plan as required by law beforehand.

The governor, a right-wing conservative Republican, rejected the mayor's request for use of Rainy Day funds, saying, "He's asking for certain payments by the state of Texas to the city which are unprecedented."

"Mayor Turner has all the money he needs," Abbott told state legislators in a meeting Wednesday. "It raises a | concern that the mayor seems to be using this as a hostage to raise taxes, when in reality the city of Houston is sitting on hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that he's not tapping into."

Hurricane Harvey is the worst to hit in North American history. It was a Category 4 storm when it hit Texas on August 25, 2017 and hovered over the city for eight more days. More than 27 trillion gallons of rain fell on Texas from Hurricane Harvey, Houston officials reported. It caused $180 billion in damage, left in ruins 300,000-500,000 cars and trucks, damaged 203,000 homes, destroying 12,700 outright More than 738,000 locals registered for assistance with FEMA. It was called "the storm of a lifetime" mainly because none of the weathercasters had ever seen any combination of rain, wind and ocean surge equal to Harvey.

CONCERNED CITIZENS

Houston businesswoman Georgia Provost, who chairs the Bayou Bend Texas Southern University Alumni, has taken the lead in reassuring that Houston's black and brown communities, representing about two-thirds of the city's 6.6 million residents, will play an active and equal role in the recovery.

"Hurricane Harvey has been most challenging in the Black community where the death toll is highest followed closely by the Hispanic Community," Provost wrote in an affidavit filed with federal authorities. "Debris removal is important but saving lives is paramount. As a taxpayer, citizen and community activist, I can say through experience that poor black and brown people are being left out. There are very rich and prosperous black people (here). They speak well about the poor but they stay their distance. The problems of rebuilding homes, schools, small businesses where many people were already homeless, without insurance or steady jobs, is not only unprecedented because of the oil, chemical and other toxic plants in the poor black community, but rather (because of) benign neglect by the governor, FEMA and the Red Cross."

Provost, who has a longstanding personal and professional relationship with California representative Maxine Waters, Supports the efforts of the mayor to secure funds that will supply the basic needs of everyone in the community.

"Mayor Sylvester Turner is being blamed for the Corp of Engineers decision to allow drainage to relieve the levels, dams and lakes," Proctor said. "Mayor Turner has attempted to assist small but helpful black and brown contractors, but he cannot Waive the rules. Only FEMA and acting director Elaine Duke can."

STATE VS. LOCAL

Civil Rights Attorney Alvin Chambliss says the black political and community leadership of Houston should pay close attention to the allocation of contracts for the clean-up of their city in the wake of Harvey's knockout blow. Chambliss, in concert with Georgia Provost and other black community leaders of Houston, has filed the complaint with FEMA regarding a fair and equitable role for Black and Hispanic contractors in the recovery program.

"There's a move afoot - if it hasn't already happened -for the state of Texas, under Governor Greg Abbott, to take control of all the FEMA money coming to the state and thereby forcing the city of Houston to wait in line for its share of the recovery funds. Now, we saw this scenario in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. And of the $70 billion spent on recovery there, no black contractor was deemed qualified enough to get a major contract for clean-up or reconstruction. I don't want to see the same thing happen in Houston."

The complainant submitted by Chambliss urges the various federal departments to discharge their duty to monitor, with local grassroots people, and exercise oversight independently of state and local governments. "Black and brown citizens are deprived of their right to participate on an equal footing with whites," he writes. "Each government agency should reassure black and brown Houstonians of inclusion and full participation in recovery programs and operations.

"The action by the governor denies first class citizenship not just to undocumented migrants, but also blacks who have lived in America since Columbus," Chambliss said. "Inclusion is warranted. Specifically, we urge that you appraise federal laws and policies with respect to discrimination or denial of equal protection of the laws because of race and color in the administration of programs."

MEET AND MATCH

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee represents Houston and is also chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. She hosted a September 22 Meet and Match Forum in Washington geared toward giving women, minority and veteran-owned businesses an equal opportunity to secure government contracts in the recovery efforts.

Minority businesses of all kinds -large, mid-tier and small - met with major Fortune 500 corporations, government contracting agencies and non-governmental organizations.

"During this time of enormous devastation and while large portions of America seeks to rebuild. It is crucial that minority-owned businesses have a seat at the table and an equal opportunity to secure federal contracts. With billions of federal dollars at stake, it is imperative that minority-owned businesses get a fair shot. We must hold the federal government accountable to insure the bid process is both open and transparent," she said.

Congressman Bennie Thompson, the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, berated President Donald Trump in a statement Wednesday.

"The President and his administration have yet to comprehend the gravity and impact of what is happening on our own soil," Thompson said. "Having lived through Hurricane Katrina, I recognize the President's obvious lack of direction and attention - and I now fear we could see history repeating itself. Instead of having Congressional Republicans on a retreat to announce tax cuts for the rich, we need a working Congress ensuring emergency aid is available so the federal government has the resources it needs. The President must realize what is unfolding under his watch. The lack of urgency from our government is putting human life at risk. Our fellow American citizens in Houston, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are suffering. They need help and they need it now."