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HURRICANE IDA BUILDING BACK BETTER
(Mr. CARTER of Louisiana asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I was in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina made landfall. In the aftermath, the community came together with Federal and State partners to invest in a regional levee system to protect the New Orleans area from major flooding.
Sixteen years later, Hurricane Ida hit southeast Louisiana with roaring winds of around 150 miles per hour. Power lines snapped like popsicle sticks.
Luckily, the investments we made in flood protection largely worked. The levees held.
Sadly, other areas outside of the risk reduction zone were still heavily flooded. Sadly, we find ourselves in a situation that is all too familiar. Our power grid was destroyed, leaving around 1 million-
plus people without power in the sweltering heat in southeast Louisiana.
Hurricanes are predicted to become more frequent and more intense due to climate change.
The question is: Will our infrastructure be ready?
The needed investments to save lives were made after Katrina. As the Ida recovery continues, we must future-proof our power grid and levees to build back better.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 162
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