Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner declared today “Qatar Day in Houston” to acknowledge the State of Qatar for its generous support of the city’s long-term recovery efforts following Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
In a ceremony in City Council chambers at the council’s weekly meeting, Mayor Turner read aloud and presented a proclamation to Qatar’s consul general in Houston, the Honorable Rashid al-Dehaimi. Council Member Jack Christie had requested the proclamation.
In  his acceptance remarks, Consul General al-Dehaimi told members of City Council that the $30 million Qatar Harvey Fund was established soon after the hurricane upon the instructions of His Highness the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and that all of the recovery funds were allocated prior to the storm’s two-year anniversary last August.
The Qatar Harvey Fund is chaired by Qatar’s Ambassador to the U.S., His Excellency Sheikh Meshal bin Hamad Al-Thani, who said after the ceremony “The State of Qatar has a history of providing humanitarian assistance throughout the world, including after Hurricane Harvey. We wanted to help our friends in Texas, where our relationships in business, education, and medical and cultural exchange go back decades. It is an honor for us that today is “Qatar Day in Houston.” 
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said: “The Qatar Harvey Fund has helped our City immensely, providing the means to enable a more complete recovery from Hurricane Harvey. On behalf of the City of Houston, we sincerely thank the leaders of Qatar and look forward to their continued friendship.”
Jack Christie, the At-Large Position 5 Council Member, said: “We choose to honor Qatar for the exceptional kindness and compassion that Emir Al Thani, his family, and the great people of Qatar exhibited towards the City of Houston. When the city was at its greatest need, with citizens hurting from floods, homelessness, and educational deficits, our Qatari friends answered the call for aid.”
The Qatar Harvey Fund was established by the State of Qatar in 2017 to administer $30 million in long-term recovery assistance to the people of southeast Texas following widespread destruction from Hurricane Harvey in August of that year. The Fund serves as a commitment of solidarity between the people of Qatar and the people of Texas and the U.S. The entire $30 million has been publicly committed to recovery projects in the areas of education, housing and community development.