Texas Lawmakers Outline Hurricane Mitigation Recommendations

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The state of Texas should require certain businesses like gas stations and nursing homes to have backup power generators to avoid the massive disruptions caused by Hurricane Ike, according to recommendations released by a special House committee.

The House Select Committee on Hurricane Ike, which was appointed in October, also recommended revamping the funding for the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, stronger building codes, expanding the sales tax holiday to include emergency survival items and putting $250 million in the state’s Disaster Contingency Fund.

“The state must be more involved in emergency preparation and the recovery process,” said Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, the committee chairman. “We need to be proactive when the next hurricane strikes and we can’t wait for the federal government to take care of our citizens after a disaster.”

Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, has repeatedly blamed the federal government for delays in payments to local governments and property owners.

Ike blasted ashore near Galveston on Sept. 13, killing dozens and causing widespread damage. The committee, appointed by then-Speaker Tom Craddick, crafted the recommendations after conducting a series of hearings in Southeast Texas, listening to hours of testimony from hurricane victims in Houston and along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Many of the recommendations are expected to become legislation in the coming months.

State and county officials launched a massive preparation effort as Ike approached. But for weeks after the storm, millions were without power, gas stations were shuttered and water in some places wasn’t drinkable.

To minimize power loss after future storms, the panel recommended phasing out wooden electrical poles, encouraging more underground power lines and requiring utility companies to submit plans to improve their systems.

They also recommended legislation to require back-up generators at all water plants, gas stations and certain health care facilities in storm-prone areas.

To help people better prepare for catastrophic storms, the committee recommended expanding the annual sales-tax holiday to also exempt generators, batteries, ice chests and other survival gear from the sales tax.

The panel found shortcomings in the availability of emergency housing after the hurricane and suggested the creation of a new Division of Emergency Housing to facilitate housing recovery efforts.

“We have people still today, who do not have a place to live and this is unacceptable in the state of Texas,” Turner said. “At the very least we must provide shelter for our citizens.”

The state’s Disaster Contingency Fund should be funded with $250 million to help cities and counties cover immediate costs after a disaster. Gov. Rick Perry has asked lawmakers to budget $150 million in the fund.

“The governor would certainly support that recommendation,” said Katherine Cesinger, a spokeswoman for Perry. She said the governor’s office looks forward to reviewing the recommendations.

“After every emergency there are always lessons learned on how we can improve things and enhance the state’s role in responding to and preparing for disasters,” Cesinger said.

Other recommendations include:
– $6 million to restore the University of Texas Medical Branch to a Level One trauma center; and
– allowing the city of Galveston to keep the state’s share of the sale tax revenue for two years.

“We are talking about a lot of changes and changes, in many cases, don’t come without a cost,” Turner said. “It is an investment in the people of the state of Texas today and in the future. Not to take the recommendations seriously, and not to act on it collectively, will cost us even more.”