109 HRES 935 IH: Acknowledging the progress yet to be made U.S. House of Representatives 2006-07-20 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 109th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 935 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 20, 2006 Mr. Jefferson (for himself, Mr. Boustany, Mr. Ross, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan, Ms. Lee, Mr. Melancon, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Towns, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Baker, Mr. McCrery, and Mr. Thompson of Mississippi) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure RESOLUTION Acknowledging the progress yet to be made in the rebuilding after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Whereas Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the Gulf Coast region on August 29, 2005, as a powerful category three storm and is recorded as the third strongest land-falling United States hurricane ever recorded with winds peaking at 175 miles per hour; Whereas Hurricane Katrina caused four protective levees to breach, including the 17th Avenue Canal, the Industrial Canal, and the London Avenue Canal, resulting in flooding of the city of New Orleans and the parishes of St. Bernard and Plaquemines; Whereas nearly every home and business was destroyed in St. Bernard Parish, and Plaquemines Parish also suffered extensive damage; Whereas approximately 80 percent of New Orleans was submerged for nearly one month; Whereas Hurricane Katrina destroyed 275,000 homes, 18,750 businesses, and 875 schools and is blamed for the deaths of 1,577 residents Whereas Hurricane Katrina devastated institutions of higher education including Xavier University of Louisiana, Tulane University, Loyola University, Dillard University, Southern University at New Orleans, the University of New Orleans, and Delgado Community College; Whereas prior to Hurricane Katrina the population of New Orleans stood at 484,674, and nearly a year later less than half have been able to return to their homes; Whereas Hurricane Katrina caused personal injuries and complete devastation to homes, businesses, and public property and disabled industries across Mississippi; Whereas Hurricane Rita made landfall along the Louisiana and Texas coasts on September 24, 2005, as the fourth most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded causing $9.4 billion in damage; Whereas Hurricane Rita completely destroyed several small towns in Southwest Louisiana and washed tons of potentially hazardous debris into the area’s marshes; Whereas in Cameron Parish, 19 public buildings, including the local hospital and Cameron Elementary School still need to be demolished; Whereas in coastal Terrebonne Parish, the count of severely damaged or destroyed homes stood at nearly 9,900; Whereas the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina uncovered failures of initiative and leadership at all levels of government despite adequate warning and resources; Whereas Hurricane Katrina overwhelmed the capabilities of State and local governments, and the Congress appropriated billions of dollars for emergency response needs such as evacuations, emergency repairs, deployment of personnel, and other expenses resulting from immediate relief efforts; Whereas the Congress has responded to the devastation by providing billions of dollars in assistance, including tax relief, student aid, and disability services to victims of Hurricane Katrina; Whereas a Gulf Coast Opportunity Zone has been created by the Congress to expedite economic recovery and provide tax benefits for individuals and businesses affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; Whereas 4.5 million people have been affected by the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; and Whereas the American people have been extremely generous in their support for the region in addition to the outpouring of assistance from the international community: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)recognizes the importance of the Gulf Coast region to the national economy; (2)expresses its support for all those still affected by these terrible natural disasters one year later; and (3)reaffirms its commitment to rebuilding the Gulf Coast region and improving the quality of life for all of its residents.