$8 BILLION THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT HAVE

Congress is set to appropriate almost $8 billion dollars for Hurricane Harvey relief

By Howie Katz

Big Jolly Politics
September 7, 2017

Hurricane Harvey has had a catastrophic effect on south Texas all the way from Corpus Christi to Victoria, to the Houston-Galveston area and to the Beaumont-Port Arthur area. The area around Lake Charles, Louisiana was hard hit too.

It is estimated that more than 85,000 homes in the Houston-Galveston area were either destroyed or severely damaged. Many of those now uninhabitable homes were not covered by flood insurance. And a lot of the affected homeowners lost everything except the clothing on their backs. Property losses are in the billions and billions of dollars.

Now Congress is set to appropriate almost $8 billion dollars for Harvey flood relief. The problem is that FEMA is about to run out of money. That $$8 billion is just a drop in the bucket for what is really needed. It’s money the Government does not have and Congress will have to raise the national debt limit.

Last June I posted an article on Big Jolly Politics about the proposed Ike Dam. Of course, I am well aware that had we had the Ike Dam, it would not have affected the flooding we have experienced as the result of the rains generated by Hurricane Harvey. But the reason I am mentioning it is because of the comments my BJP article received.

Most of the comments expressed strong opposition to the expenditure of any taxpayer funds to bail out people who are living in storm surge-prone areas since the government would be spending money it does not have. Rather than spending ‘their’ money on the Ike Dike, they suggested the people at risk purchase flood insurance which, by the way is largely subsidized with taxpayer funds. Most indicated that when you buy a home in a flood-prone area that’s a risk you have to assume. One jolly BJP follower even suggested I move to the Woodlands.

Here are two problems to take into account. First, Harvey showed us that all of Houston and the surrounding areas are flood-prone. Second, most of these now displaced homeowners of the 85,000-plus homes that were destroyed or damaged had no idea they were buying homes within a flood-prone area. That is why many of them did not buy flood insurance. Shame, shame on them!

So now we have well over 100,000 people from Corpus Christi to Lake Charles that are left with only the clothing on their backs. Sure, they will be able to pick and choose from piles of used clothing donations and the Red Cross will provide them with some funds for temporary shelter. The Salvation Army, churches and some charities will also help out. But the bottom line is that they need way more assistance and only the government can provide that.

So to all you jolly BJP followers who oppose spending taxpayer funds the government does not have on people who bought homes in flood-prone areas, I ask … do you still feel the same way? If your answer is ‘yes’, then you guys either do not understand the plight of Harvey’s victims or else you just don’t give a rat’s ass.

UPDATE: President Trump threw a curveball at the Republican congressional leadership by reaching an agreement with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer for an appropriation of $15 billion in flood relief and a rise in the national debt limit.