[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1376 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1376

   Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Okeechobee Hurricane of 
         September 1928 and its associated tragic loss of life.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 24, 2008

  Mr. Hastings of Florida (for himself, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Meek of 
Florida, Mr. Wexler, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Mahoney of Florida, Mr. 
  Klein of Florida, Mr. Putnam, and Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                  on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Okeechobee Hurricane of 
         September 1928 and its associated tragic loss of life.

Whereas the Okeechobee Hurricane, also known as Hurricane San Felipe Segundo, 
        formed in the Atlantic Ocean, traveled through the Caribbean Sea, and up 
        the eastern coast of the United States between September 10 and 
        September 20, 1928;
Whereas on September 16, 1928, the Okeechobee Hurricane made landfall in the 
        continental United States at West Palm Beach, Florida, and proceeded 
        north over Lake Okeechobee, after which it decreased steadily in 
        intensity before dying in Ontario, Canada;
Whereas the Okeechobee Hurricane attained the highest classification of Category 
        5 for tropical cyclone intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, 
        with winds exceeding 160 miles per hour;
Whereas the Okeechobee Hurricane is officially recognized by the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as the second deadliest hurricane 
        on record in United States history, exacting the tragic loss of more 
        than 4,000 lives in the United States, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and 
        the Bahamas;
Whereas approximately 75 percent of fatalities from the Okeechobee Hurricane in 
        the United States were migrant farm workers, the vast majority of which 
        were African-American;
Whereas the extensive impact of the Okeechobee Hurricane on African-American 
        migrant workers in southern and central Florida was memorialized in the 
        famous 1937 literary work of Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were 
        Watching God;
Whereas the Okeechobee Hurricane exacted horrendous damage valued at over 
        $16,000,000,000, adjusted for inflation, to the infrastructure and towns 
        of western Palm Beach County alone;
Whereas many of those killed by the Okeechobee Hurricane in southern Florida 
        were buried in segregated mass graves, such as the more than 670 
        African-American victims in a mass grave in West Palm Beach;
Whereas the Herbert Hoover Dike's system surrounding Lake Okeechobee consists of 
        143 miles of levee with 19 culverts, hurricane gates, and other water 
        control structures that provide flood and storm damage reduction and 
        other water control benefits;
Whereas on November 2, 2007, the Army Corps of Engineers Dam Safety Action 
        Classification External Peer Review Panel designated the Herbert Hoover 
        Dike with Class I designation of ``urgent and compelling,'' the highest 
        risk category;
Whereas a breach of the Herbert Hoover Dike or similarly designated structures 
        throughout the Nation could potentially cause the catastrophic loss of 
        life and poses grave economic and environmental consequences to the 
        surrounding communities;
Whereas given the ongoing potential of the Herbert Hoover Dike or other 
        similarly designated structures to fail in the event of a major storm or 
        hurricane, priority must be given to fully fund and expedite 
        rehabilitation of such structures; and
Whereas economically disadvantaged and migrant communities are at increased risk 
        for extensive damage and loss of life associated with natural disasters: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) memorializes the tragic loss of more than 4,000 lives 
        in the United States and its territories due to the Okeechobee 
        Hurricane of 1928;
            (2) recognizes the enduring importance of hurricane 
        preparedness measures, enhanced evacuation, emergency plans, 
        and disaster response training in economically disadvantaged 
        communities to prevent a disproportionate impact of natural 
        disasters and disparities in disaster response;
            (3) recognizes the role of relevant Federal agencies, 
        research institutes, universities, and disaster response 
        organizations in providing intensity forecasting, long-range 
        projections of hurricane activity, emergency management, and 
        hurricane and storm mitigation to better prepare for, respond 
        to, and mitigate the extensive loss of life and devastating 
        impacts of hurricanes and storms;
            (4) fully supports initiatives to enhance our understanding 
        of mitigation impacts on physical structures, including water 
        management systems and other infrastructures that may be 
        vulnerable to withstand the most intense of storms;
            (5) urges the Federal Government and State and local 
        governments to--
                    (A) commemorate and memorialize the 80th 
                anniversary of Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928 and its 
                associated tragic loss of more than 4,000 lives in the 
                United States and its territories;
                    (B) appropriately recognize mass graves of the 
                victims of the Okeechobee Hurricane;
                    (C) take appropriate actions to quickly repair and 
                rehabilitate dikes, water management systems, and other 
                infrastructure in hurricane-prone regions designated by 
                the Army Corps of Engineers with Class I ``urgent and 
                compelling'' vulnerability;
                    (D) take appropriate actions to encourage hurricane 
                and disaster preparedness, education, response, and 
                mitigation; and
                    (E) support programs and initiatives which promote 
                disaster preparedness, education, response, and 
                mitigation in economically disadvantaged and migrant 
                communities; and
            (6) recommits itself to hurricane preparedness, safety 
        education, response, and mitigation for all communities in the 
        110th Congress.
                                 <all>