Culberson Tours Damaged United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston and Supports Flood Mitigation Funding Bill to Benefit Houstonians

Press Release

Today, Congressman John Culberson (TX-07) and Mike Talbott, Executive Director of the Harris County Flood Control District, toured the United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston in Meyerland.

The United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston, which is situated directly across the street from Brays Bayou, experienced three feet of water in its sanctuary during the devastating floods that occurred last month. This damage marks the second time the synagogue has flooded in less than a year. Approximately thirty of the congregation's members had flood damage to their homes. Rep. Culberson has been working with the Harris County Flood Control District, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the City of Houston to verify funding numbers necessary to help repair flood damage and complete flood mitigation projects.

"It is clear that we have to expedite completion of the major flood mitigation projects in the Harris County area, which is why today I joined my Houston colleagues in supporting legislation providing an additional $311 million in funding to Harris County for flood damage repair and flood mitigation projects. While I have personally secured $194 million in funding for project Brays and $100.45 million for Buffalo Bayou, it's obvious that more is necessary. I will continue to work with the Harris County Flood Control District, the City of Houston, and the Army Corps of Engineers to accelerate the improvements to Brays Bayou, the Addicks and Barkers reservoirs and Buffalo Bayou so that District 7 residents can have confidence that Houston has the flood infrastructure necessary to protect lives and property," Rep. Culberson said.

Following the visit, Mike Talbott, the Executive Director of the Harris County Flood Control District, said, "We deeply appreciate Chairman Culberson's success over the years in getting much needed appropriations for the flood risk reduction projects on Brays and Buffalo Bayous. These are large and complex projects designed to reduce the risk of flooding in one of the nation's largest and rapidly growing urban areas. And we truly appreciate his continued efforts to secure full funding for the timely completion of all of our federal projects in Harris County as soon as possible. His leadership and expertise are a great asset to our efforts."

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