Dear Friend,

One year ago, the outer bands of Harvey were just beginning to sweep across the coast. Many of us having lived on the Gulf Coast most of our lives knew what to expect - hunker down, have extra supplies, help your neighbors. We'd all seen hurricanes before, but no one was prepared for Harvey...

The first four days, we didn't see the sun. We were inundated with over 50 inches of water.

The first ten days were filled with shelter visits and emergency notices.

The first several weeks were spent watching the water recede and getting home to salvage personal belongings.

The first couple of months were a blur of mucking out homes, tearing down walls, and drying out what little was left.

During the course of the first year, 82 disaster recovery centers were up and running; 895,503 individuals registered with disaster assistance programs; 3 disaster relief packages received the President's signature; and most importantly, there was an abundance of help and hope.

From Friday, August 25 through about Tuesday, August 29, rain fell from the sky in unprecedented amounts. The National Weather Service created a new color to record our rainfall, and Jeff Lindner, meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District, dutifully updated us with each passing hour. Our first responders, emergency services, Coast Guard, neighbors, and volunteers worked around the clock to rescue people from rising water.

Once the rain finally stopped falling, local leaders and I took to the sky for flyovers, surveying the damage and assessing where help and funding would be most critically needed.

Harvey may have brought the downpour, but YOU brought the outpour. From the Cajun Navy to strangers with johnboats and jet skis, from Team Rubicon to neighbors and college students lending a hand, help was never far. Everyone knew someone who needed help, and everyone helped someone in need. Some of you lost everything, and your first thought was still, "I need to help and give back to my community." Thank YOU.

From the moment Harvey's devastation began making itself known, your Texas Delegation started coming together. In the days following the rain, we met with local and state officials. In the weeks and months following, your Texas Delegation - Republicans and Democrats, Senators and Representatives - met to address the problem at a hand. We worked with Leadership and the President to make sure we got the relief supplements we so desperately needed to get us back on our feet.

Stories of heroism are everywhere, but this young man's story is particularly inspiring. On August 26, Harvey's unrelenting downpour was quickly making bad situations worse. On that same day, Virgil Smith acted with a type of selflessness few people possess. He showed strength and kindness in the darkest of hours. He let his faith be bigger than his fear. Quiet and unafraid, Virgil entered the rising floodwaters time and time again to rescue friends and neighbors using his family's air mattress. Over the course of four hours, this young man of 13-years-old saved the lives of 17 others.  In March, I had the honor of spending the day with him and his mom, Lisa. At a dinner that night,  Virgil received the Young Hero award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, Citizen Honors. Each year, five people are awarded a Citizen's Honor in recognition for their act of valor.