[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 246 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]


109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 246

     To express the sense of the Senate regarding the missions and 
performance of the United States Coast Guard in responding to Hurricane 
                                Katrina.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 21, 2005

  Ms. Snowe (for herself, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Inouye, Mr. 
   Stevens, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Lott, and Ms. Murkowski) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     To express the sense of the Senate regarding the missions and 
performance of the United States Coast Guard in responding to Hurricane 
                                Katrina.

    Whereas the United States Coast Guard has been charged by Congress 
            with missions central to protecting the lives and well-
            being of individuals and communities in the United States, 
            including protecting homeland security, conducting search 
            and rescue of lives in danger, protecting marine 
            environments from pollution, maintaining maritime safety 
            and aids to navigation, enforcing Federal fishing laws, and 
            intercepting illegal drugs and migrants before they reach 
            our shores;
    Whereas the Coast Guard anticipated the potential for significant 
            loss of life and property as Hurricane Katrina approached 
            Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama and made landfall on 
            August 29, 2005, and, in advance of the storm, relocated 
            its personnel, vessels, and aircraft out of harm's way;
    Whereas Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane 
            with winds reaching 175 miles per hour and massive storm 
            surges, the combination of which left a trail of 
            devastation unprecedented on United States soil, as it 
            leveled countless homes, businesses, and other structures, 
            displaced millions of people from their communities, and 
            otherwise made coastal urban and rural areas unliveable;
    Whereas the Coast Guard immediately deployed nearly 1,000 
            personnel, including captains, crew, pilots, rescue 
            swimmers, pollution response teams, and other specialists 
            and reservists, from stations all over the country, to 
            coastal areas affected by the hurricane, for a total 
            regional force size of approximately 3,619 personnel;
    Whereas Coast Guard personnel who had never personally worked 
            together before began to work as teams to conduct and 
            coordinate search and rescue operations while Hurricane 
            Katrina continued to bear down on the central Gulf of 
            Mexico shoreline;
    Whereas the Coast Guard rescued or evacuated 33,544 individuals as 
            of September 21, 2005, a number that represents eight times 
            the number of lives saved by the Coast Guard in an average 
            year;
    Whereas three Coast Guard pollution response Strike Teams responded 
            to 1,129 pollution incidents as of September 20, 2005, 
            which include total discharges of more than 7 million 
            gallons of oil, unknown amounts of sewage, and unknown 
            quantities of other toxic chemicals, and the Coast Guard 
            has contained or otherwise closed 426 of these cases;
    Whereas Coast Guard buoy tenders have responded to 964 
            discrepancies in buoys and other aids to navigation and 
            have restored 39 of 48 critical aids to navigation as of 
            September 21, 2005;
    Whereas the costs of responding to Hurricane Katrina have depleted 
            the Coast Guard's operations and maintenance budget for 
            fiscal year 2005 and are rapidly depleting its budget for 
            fiscal year 2006, and the Coast Guard's costs associated 
            with this hurricane are anticipated to exceed $500 million;
    Whereas the Coast Guard performed its hurricane response missions 
            largely with outdated legacy assets, increasing the wear 
            and tear on these assets while foregoing regularly 
            scheduled maintenance activities in the interest of 
            sustaining its surge in life-saving operations;
    Whereas the Coast Guard already conducts its missions with the 40th 
            oldest fleet of the 42 nations with Coast Guard or naval 
            fleets;
    Whereas the Coast Guard's program, known as Deepwater, for 
            modernizing its fleet of vessels and aircraft, is vital for 
            increasing the capabilities in performing its missions in 
            the face of ever-increasing natural and human threats;
    Whereas the Deepwater program requires sustained Federal funding 
            commitments in order for the citizens of the United States 
            to realize the benefits of the Coast Guard having state-of-
            the-art vessels, aircraft, technologies, and interoperable 
            communication equipment;
    Whereas in addition to covering operation and maintenance costs of 
            a rapidly aging fleet, the Coast Guard needs to rebuild 
            several Coast Guard facilities in Louisiana, Mississippi, 
            and Alabama, including Station Gulfport which was 
            completely destroyed and where personnel are now working in 
            trailers amidst the ruins of that station;
    Whereas the Coast Guard needs a strong Federal funding commitment 
            to ensure that all of its unexpected expenditures during 
            its response to Katrina are reimbursed;
    Whereas more than 700 Coast Guard personnel stationed in the Gulf 
            region lost their homes and all personal property and are 
            now living on overcrowded Coast Guard vessels and in 
            makeshift shelters;
    Whereas before, during, and after the landfall of Hurricane 
            Katrina, Coast Guard personnel exhibited determination and 
            a full commitment to their missions, and the Coast Guard 
            has proven to be one of the most resourceful and capable 
            services in the United States government;
    Whereas before, during, and after the landfall of Hurricane 
            Katrina, Coast Guard personnel performed their missions 
            with the highest level of bravery and self-sacrifice, and 
            their effectiveness in performing their missions is 
            unparalleled in the United States government;
    Whereas the Coast Guard has an operational and command structure 
            that allowed it to quickly take a leadership role in saving 
            lives, without waiting for instruction or permission to 
            act;
    Whereas the Coast Guard's operational and command structure 
            continues to serve as a model for other agencies that need 
            to respond quickly to large-scale natural and man-made 
            disasters; and
    Whereas the Coast Guard's effective leadership in responding to the 
            aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the appointment of Vice 
            Admiral Thad Allen as the primary Federal officer in charge 
            of this response, is helping to restore the public's 
            confidence in the Federal response effort: Now, therefore, 
            be it
    Resolved, by the Senate, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the United States Coast Guard should receive Congress's 
        highest commendation for its tremendous and highly effective 
        response to the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina;
            (2) the United States Congress should commit to providing 
        the Coast Guard with the resources it needs to modernize and 
        maintain its fleet of vessels and aircraft; and
            (3) the Administration should ensure that the Coast Guard 
        receives sufficient funding to cover its unexpected operational 
        and capital costs associated with Hurricane Katrina.
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