Congressman Joe Morelle of Irondequoit says his community was hit hard by historic flooding in 2017.
And with rising lake levels this spring, communities along the Great Lakes are in jeopardy for further destruction.
So he's written a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Pete DeFazio, chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, telling them that it’s critically important that a $2 trillion infrastructure proposal contain a comprehensive plan to strengthen lakeshore communities.
Congressional leaders and the White House agreed this week in principle on a long-range plan to spend $2 trillion on rebuilding roads, bridges and rail infrastructure.
"I think it's far past time that we react to these natural disasters, react to this lake flooding and to the harm that's caused to businesses, municipalities and homeowners, and instead we take a proactive view," Morelle said. "That we use this opportunity for the $2 trillion investment that we hope to make to ensure that the Great Lakes are an integral part of that plan."
Morelle also wants Congress to make significant investments to support the recommendations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its ongoing Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency study.
He says the next flooding event or lake-related natural disaster is not a matter of if, but when.
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