Sen. Cruz: ‘Two Years After Harvey, We Remain Texas Strong’

TEXARKANA, Texas - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) this week during his statewide tour released a video marking the second anniversary of Hurricane Harvey's landfall and the incredible progress made on the road to recovery.

On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz toured Anheuser-Busch's Houston Brewery to visit with employees and thank them for their efforts during Harvey. In the wake of Harvey's devastation, Anheuser-Busch temporarily paused beer production to distribute water to hurricane victims and first responders. Still photos and video of the tour may be viewed here.

"As we sit here reflecting on the two year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, where our community went through such a traumatic event, we saw all of Texas come together," Sen. Cruz said. "Anheuser Busch ... changed their bottling plants to make them bottling water, putting water in aluminum cans instead of beer ... And they provided [Budweiser cans of water] to Houstonians in need and we saw our community come together."

Later in the day, Sen. Cruz returned to see the rebuilding progress at Port Arthur's Staff Sergeant Lucian Adams Elementary School and visit with county judges and mayors at the South East Texas Regional Planning Commission. Shortly after Harvey's landfall, Sen. Cruz met with teachers, storm victims, and students and surveyed the damage at Adam's Elementary School. Still photos and video of the tour may be viewed here.

"I was here right after Hurricane Harvey," Sen. Cruz said. "I saw this school that was flooded. It was virtually the entire school. They had to rip up the sheetrock and start over. They spent a year rebuilding this school, and it's exciting to see a brand new school ... and to see the joy and life in the kids."

"Two hundred and fifty miles of Texas were impacted from Corpus Christi all the way up to Louisiana," Sen. Cruz continued. "And in every community, you saw that same spirit, that spirit that we see powerfully here, in Port Arthur that even for folks who had lost everything, there was an awareness, we're going to make it through this and we're going to come out stronger. I believe Texas is stronger today than we were two years ago and it is because adversity brings us together."

In the United States Senate, Sen. Cruz continues to lead the fight for Texans recovering from Harvey. As he explained in Port Arthur:

"John Cornyn and I together have teamed up to substantially increase the federal disaster relief. We've seen over $100 billion appropriated to disaster relief. ... we have seen a lot of funds, a lot of resources come to the state of Texas, and there are still a lot more funds in the pipeline ... and I continue pressing to speed up that relief."

Specifically with Sen. Cruz's leadership, Congress has:

• Appropriated more than $140 billion in emergency funding in response to the 2017 storms. The funding went to efforts to clear debris, open schools, rebuild family homes, and give entire towns a fresh start.
• Passed the Cruz-Cornyn-Rubio Disaster Tax Relief bill, which added tax deductions for hurricane-related expenses and allowed penalty-free retirement account withdrawals, providing more than $5.5 billion in targeted tax relief to hurricane survivors in 2017.
• Increased the overall amount of funding for Army Corps of Engineers flood prevention projects in Texas, and the funding for other mitigation activities under the Community Development Block Grant- Disaster Recovery program, which will better prepare Texas for future storms. Just last week, HUD announced the next important step in releasing an additional $4.3 billion in funding to the state.
• Protected the First Amendment rights of churches, temples, shrines, and synagogues, and ensured religious organizations are eligible for federal disaster relief assistance.

Several news outlets covered Sen. Cruz's visit to areas affected by Harvey. Selected news coverage is below:

KRIV Houston (VIDEO): Sen. Cruz Tours Anheuser Busch Houston Brewery, Thanks Them for Hurricane Harvey Help
"Senator Ted Cruz visiting Houston today. He's touring the state two years after Hurricane Harvey's landfall to discuss recovery efforts and the progress made so far. Well today, he toured the Anheuser Busch Houston Brewery to visit with employees. You may recall, the brewery jumped into action to help out after Harvey. ‘And I have to tell you as we sit here reflecting on the two year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, where our community went through such a traumatic event, we saw all of Texas come together,' Sen. Cruz said. ‘And Anheuser Busch, they changed their bottling plants to make them bottling water - putting water in aluminum cans instead of beer.'"

KFDM Port Arthur: Sen. Ted Cruz visits elementary school in Port Arthur, encourages students to reach high
"Texas Sen. Ted Cruz returned to Lucian Adams Elementary School to speak with students and to assess the recovery progress at the school following Tropical Storm Harvey. The senator visited the school shortly after Harvey hit two years ago. KFDM/Fox 4 Quentin Hope reports that Sen. Cruz hoped to inspire students with a message that nothing is impossible."

KBMT Beaumont (VIDEO): Sen. Cruz Revisits Southeast Texas School Two Years After Harvey
"Senator Ted Cruz visited Port Arthur and Beaumont today to talk about storm recovery. That included a stop at Staff Sergeant Lucian Adams Elementary School. [...] Today was all about hope for the staff here at Adams Elementary School - celebrating the hope they had after overcoming Harvey, and the hope they have for their students. ‘I don't think there was a town in the entire state hit harder than Port Arthur,' Sen. Cruz said. The last time that Senator Ted Cruz stepped foot on the Adams Elementary School campus it was stripped and gutted when more than a foot of water filled the hallways during Harvey. It looks a lot different two years later. ‘It's exciting to see a brand new school. We've got brand new computers, a new library, and to see the joy and life in the kids,' Sen. Cruz said. Senator Cruz made a stop at the campus to see the progress that's been made and to offer words of encouragement."

Port Arthur News: Back at Adams: Sen. Ted Cruz visits Port Arthur elementary campus in wake of Harvey anniversary
"U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz stopped by Wednesday at one of those schools, Staff Sgt. Lucian Adams Elementary School. ‘I had the chance today to visit Adams Elementary School in Port Arthur once again,' Cruz said. ‘I was here right after Hurricane Harvey. I saw a school that was flooded - it was virtually the entire school. They had to rip up the sheetrock, start over and spend a year rebuilding this school. It's exciting to see a brand new school. They have brand new computers, a new library, etc. and I can see the joy and life in the kids.' Cruz spoke a few words to waiting fifth-graders, teachers, staff and parents. His main message: Anything is possible."

Beaumont Enterprise: Cruz talks disaster recovery on Harvey anniversary
"Cruz said he remembered visiting Staff Sergeant Lucian Adams Elementary School in Port Arthur soon after Harvey hit, talking with residents and volunteering. ‘I don't think there was a town in the entire state hit harder than Port Arthur,' he told fifth-grade students at the elementary school before encouraging them to focus instead on the resilience revealed that by the storm. Cruz said he remembered visiting Staff Sergeant Lucian Adams Elementary School in Port Arthur soon after Harvey hit, talking with residents and volunteering. ‘I don't think there was a town in the entire state hit harder than Port Arthur,' he told fifth-grade students at the elementary school before encouraging them to focus instead on the resilience revealed that by the storm. ‘Think about the courage we saw. Think about the generosity,' he said. ‘Think about the strength we saw.'"

KTBC Houston (VIDEO): Sen. Cruz Thanks Anheuser Busch Houston Brewery for Help during Harvey
"Senator Ted Cruz visited Houston yesterday to discuss recovery efforts and the progress two years after Hurricane Harvey. Yesterday, he visited employees at the Anheuser Busch Houston Brewery. You may remember the brewery jumped in to help out the community after Harvey. The senator praised the company for their actions. And I have to tell you as we sit here reflecting on the two year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, where our community went through such a traumatic event, we saw all of Texas come together,' Sen. Cruz said. ‘And Anheuser Busch, they changed their bottling plants to make them bottling water - putting water in aluminum cans instead of beer.'"

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