Build Levees, Not Walls
March 18th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
After the terrible devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, it boggles the mind that the federal government will pay billions to construct a border wall and not pay to repair the levees in the Rio Grande Valley. A study released this week by the University of Texas-Pan American and authored by economist Dr. Daniel Sutter finds that a levee failure could cause about $1.76 billion in economic damage not to mention the loss of life.
The study, mentioned in the Rio Grande Guardian yesterday, says that approximately 57,000 homes and 2,800 businesses would be affected. The Rio Grande Valley is part of one of the fastest growing regions in the nation. It also has more than 70 miles of levees and a 100-year floodplain that ranges from Brownsville to Starr County.
The last big hurricane to blow through the region in 1967 — Hurricane Beulah – devastated the area.
Over the years, the levees have deteriorated to the point where FEMA wants to change the flood map to include much wider swathes of the Texas border region. This means many residents would need to purchase flood insurance and pay an additional $500 to $600 a year for it.
Since the feds won’t pay for the federal floodplain and levee system, Hidalgo County voters approved a $100 million bond referendum to pay for the levee repairs.
Caught in a tough spot, Hidalgo County Judge JD Salinas negotiated with Homeland Security Secretary MIchael Chertoff to create a combination border wall and levee. This would save several homes in Hidalgo County from being demolished to build the border wall. It would also draw down some federal dollars to help offset the price of repairing the levees for county taxpayers. It seemed like it was a win-win when the deal was announced February 8.
Now the International Boundary and Water Commission, IBWC, who regulates the levee system, wants Judge Salinas to sign a form that says the county will pay for the levee repairs if the feds don’t come through.
In a Guardian story yesterday, Judge Salinas says he and county commissioners will continue to fight for federal funding for the levee repairs. They have sent several letters to the Rio Grande Valley’s congressional delegation, President George W. Bush and Governor Rick Perry.
“These levees are a federal responsibility,” Salinas said in the article. “But it’s a responsibility our lawmakers have shrugged off, failing to appropriate the necessary money to the IBWC, We know this is a very complicated situation, but it becomes very simple and clear to me when faced with the unsettling numbers in this study.”
Also on Monday, Homeland Security took 25 landowners in Hidalgo and Starr counties to court to proceed with condemnation proceedings to build the border wall. Some of these landowners include the Rio Grande City independent school district.
Here I’ll quote Chad Foster, Mayor of Eagle Pass, when he sums up the federal government and its border wall. “It’s never a good time for a bad idea.”
