Lamb: Hanna Can’t See Forest From Trees on Flood Mitigation

Binghamton, NY – Congressional Candidate Dan Lamb today released the following statement after Congressman Richard Hanna made and official visit to the City of Binghamton, which is outside of his congressional district, to discuss the need for legislation to improve disaster mitigation through better building codes. In an apparent violation of U.S. House rules, Hanna followed up with an official visit to the City of Binghamton Fire Department, which is outside of his district.

“When it comes to protecting this region from flooding, Congressman Hanna can’t see the forest from the trees. The Southern Tier has faced two catastrophic floods, and the only thing he is proposing is a small incentive to adjust building codes. What we need is a major federal investment to upgrade our flood infrastructure.

“The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deemed 12 flood levees in Broome County as inadequate, and that’s not something that can be fixed with small ideas, even if they are good ones. We can put a lot of people back to work in this region, and protect the area from future floods, if we work to strengthen this infrastructure. Unfortunately, the discussion from Congressman Richard Hanna and his colleagues is about how much we should cut from these types of investments, now what we should do to solve the problems we face.

“For the past 6 years, I have worked to secure federal funds and advance flood mitigation work being conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps has been severely underfunded by the current Congress causing backlogs and delays. This has to change, and I hope to continue fighting for the resources we need to protect this area from future floods.”

By C. Harris-Lockwood