“As a mayor, I’ve seen firsthand how severe weather and flooding can impact people’s lives. I’ve witnessed homes destroyed, schools flooded and damaged and small businesses closed.

Unfortunately, this devastation isn’t unique to my community: every year Wisconsin breaks new records with larger floods. We have to be smart and respond with stronger infrastructure that will keep us safe. We have to build for tomorrow’s floods.

Congress should do their part and enact tougher building standards to meet future flood risk, especially where public dollars are being spent. Recent Pew polling found 85 percent of Americans think federally-funded projects located in flood-prone areas should be built to stronger standards.

Building for future risk means elevating buildings and roadways, ensuring storm sewers can handle larger rainfalls, and protecting critical infrastructure like hospitals, fire stations and electrical substations.

The good news is that for every dollar invested in stronger building standards, it saves $5 – $7 in rebuilding and recovery. It also creates jobs and spurs faster economic recovery following a disaster.

We need Congress to act. Our quality of life, our success as a state, depends on our ability to adapt, be strong, and bounce back from severe weather and flooding.”