Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao said Friday that the devastation after Tropical Storm Harvey is worse than Hurricane Katrina.
“The devastation is just heartbreaking. I’ve been through Katrina before and this was worse than Katrina, and what I saw on the ground were Texans, full of grit, fill of courage and full of determination,” Ms. Chao said on Fox News. Harvey began as a hurricane when it hit Texas and then it lessened to a tropical storm, leaving flooding in its aftermath.
She also said that the federal government has already provided $25 million in emergency relief funds with another $100 million in airport and emergency repair grants still coming. Ms. Chao also said more funds would come from other programs as well as the damage is assessed.
“We’ve also extended many waivers to allow the rebuilding, the planning and the thinking about how to go ahead. And we want to do away with a lot of burdensome regulations that don’t need to be there, especially with this emergency crisis time,” she said.
Funding for Harvey’s aftermath has already been a contentious issue with Congress member set to address the issue when they return next week. The Trump administration has already requested nearly $6 billion from Congress as a down payment.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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