Houston-area officials told a congressional committee Monday they were not fully aware of flooding risks from local reservoirs during hurricane Harvey.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers insists there was a concerted effort to ensure all information was shared with local officials and the public.
But Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told the House Homeland Security Committee at Cy-Fair's Berry Center that wasn't always the case, especially when it came to the actual amount of water being released from the Addicks and Barker Reservoirs.
“That information was not provided to us.”
“Prior to the controlled spillage?”
“That is correct,” Turner testified.
Congressman Michael McCaul says his committee will look into why homeowners downstream of the reservoirs were not alerted earlier.
“I know all these residents are very angry about what happened and they want answers,” McCaul said after the hearing. “Congress through an investigation can provide those answers as to who knew what, when and where.”
Officials also questioned why hurricane relief money is being filtered through Austin rather than coming directly to areas impacted by Harvey.
“Our greatest frustration as members of Congress is when we pass legislation and appropriate money and we're aiming it at disaster recovery, is the length of time it takes to reach the hands of the people who are hurting the most,” said Congressman John Culberson.