Emmett, Turner champion $2.5B flood bond as early voting begins
Elected leaders say Proposition A would pay for 230 projects
A gaggle of Houston and Harris County leaders urged voters Thursday to approve a $2.5 billion flood bond proposal designed to boost the county's preparedness for future storms.
"Prop A is being put forward specifically so that we can make the whole world can realize we got through Harvey together, and we're going to ... make this a safer, more resilient community," Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said.
Early voting began Wednesday on the plan, which would be the largest local investment in flood infrastructure since Hurricane Harvey swamped more than 154,000 county homes this past August. Election Day is Saturday, Aug. 25, the one-year anniversary of the storm.
The bond would fund more than 230 projects such as channel improvements, detention basins, floodplain land acquisition, new floodplain mapping and more than 3,000 buyouts of flood-prone buildings.
The officials endured Houston's typical August humidity to make their pitch in TC Jester Park on White Oak Bayou, which jumped its banks during Harvey and flooded the surrounding Oak Forest neighborhood. The bond enjoys widespread support among Republican and Democratic elected officials.
"There are some things that rise far beyond politics," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. "This is about acting together so we can can save more of our people and property in the future."
Jim Blackburn of Rice University's Severe Storm Prediction Education and Evacuation from Disasters characterized the bond as the first of many investments Harris County will need to protect against future storms, which are becoming wetter and more frequent.
"We're going to have to manage water, we're going to have to live with water, and we're going to have to have money to make the improvements that are necessary," Blackburn said.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee noted that passing the bond is key to securing more than $2 billion in matching federal funds.
Harris County Commissioners Jack Cagle and Rodney Ellis, Houston council member Jack Christie and other elected officials also attended the event.