Kingwood, TX – Today, Congressman Dan Crenshaw joined representatives from Humble Independent School District, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to highlight the completion of the flood mitigation project that was 90% federally funded. Through this federal assistance, FEMA, Humble ISD and the TDEM were able to complete this project that provides vital flood control, protecting the high school in future storms.
"No one ever wants to see flooding like we saw during Hurricane Harvey, especially in our children’s schools. Prevention and preparation is key, and that’s what this project was about," said Congressman Crenshaw."Students will no longer worry if the next storm will keep them out of school for a year. I was proud to help secure the federal funding that made this project possible and will always continue to look for opportunities to invest in flood resiliency."
Working with FEMA, the high school was repaired at a cost of over $56 million, and the flood gates were installed at a cost of approximately $28 million. FEMA covered 90% of these costs while the other 10 percent was covered by the State of Texas and the school district together. In total, this project cost over $78 million. After a $5.5 million insurance deduction, with the bulk of the funding coming from the Federal government.
In 2017, Hurricane Harvey devastated the community with an estimated 19 trillion gallons of rainwater and flooded Kingwood High School with 5.5 feet of water. As a result, the school was closed for seven months, displacing 2,800 students for more than a year. In the Spring of 2018, renovations were complete, and the school reopened. It cost $63 million to restore Kingwood High School and the school's location makes it prone to flooding. Through this project, and the partnership of the federal government and state of Texas, the school district will now be able to protect the high school from future devastation.
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