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‘We needed money yesterday’: Houston council member calls on state to release funds for Hurricane Beryl relief

Theo

HOUSTON (KIAH) – It’s been four days since Hurricane Beryl hit Houston and the surrounding area, causing widespread damage, power outages and deaths. Many people are now focused on rebuilding, including Houston City Councilwoman Abbie Kamin, who is in charge of District C.

Councilwoman Kamin stopped by CW39 to share how those in her district are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl.


“It’s hot. We’re dealing with the heat. Unfortunately, District C was also one of the hardest hit areas by the derecho. As far as debris removal, we’re getting pretty good at that. But with the power outage, the heat hazards remain,” she said.

District C covers fifteen “unique super neighborhoods,” including: Greater Inwood, Central Northwest, Lazybrook/Timbergrove, Greater Heights, Washington Avenue Coalition/Memorial Park, Neartown/Montrose, University Place, Braeburn, Meyerland Area, Braeswood, Willow Meadows/Willow Bend, Midtown, Afton Oaks/River Oaks, Fourth Ward and Greenway/Upper Kirby.

Kamin has been going door to door to check on residents and said she and her team are doing everything they can to help those in need.

“We’ve met with neighbors who are cleaning community pools so kids can cool off. We’re working with Tool Bank and Crowd Source Rescue, a great nonprofit that responds to disasters. With the help of some of our pastors, we’re bringing generators and cooling units to senior centers,” Kamin said.

During previous severe weather events, Kamin said the area was regularly hit by flooding, but this time, District C experienced minimal flooding during Beryl. Kamin believes this is due to funding allocated to drainage and infrastructure.

“I can’t say it’s a positive because I don’t want us to rest on our laurels. But we’ve seen that the investments we’re making in drainage and flood control are working,” she said. “The Braes Project, the partnership with the county and the Flood Control District worked. It held. Now we can just hold our breath. This was just a Category 1 disaster.”

President Biden’s response to Hurricane Beryl caught the attention of the Houston city councilwoman. During Kamin’s interview, she thanked him for signing the disaster declaration not only for Houston, but for residents across the state who were also affected by the hurricane.

“It’s important that residents know how this works. The state needs to make a formal request to the federal government to step in and help,” she said.

One of the challenges the population faces is the lack of individual aid resources from the federal government, as the state has not yet requested this assistance, according to Kamin.

“They’re starting their assessment today, and then they said they’re going to submit this application to the government for individual assistance. I hate to use that phrase, but we needed it yesterday,” Kamin said.

Kamin said the state has billions of dollars that need to be allocated to infrastructure improvements and hopes some of that money can soon be invested in Houston.

“After Harvey, we allocated millions of dollars to rebuild after the disaster, which was supposed to go to infrastructure. However, at the state level, those funds were directed to areas other than Houston. We need those funds,” Kamin said.

To learn more about Hurrican Beryl’s resources in District C, click here.

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