[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1577 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1577

Observing the fifth anniversary of the date on which Hurricane Katrina 
 devastated the Gulf Coast, saluting the dedication of volunteers who 
     offered assistance in support of those affected by the storm, 
recognizing the progress of efforts to rebuild the affected Gulf Coast 
   region, commending the persistence of the people of the States of 
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and reaffirming Congress' 
                    commitment to restore and renew.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 29, 2010

   Mr. Cao (for himself, Mr. Boustany, Mr. Scalise, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. 
   Melancon, Mr. Fleming, and Mr. Alexander) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Observing the fifth anniversary of the date on which Hurricane Katrina 
 devastated the Gulf Coast, saluting the dedication of volunteers who 
     offered assistance in support of those affected by the storm, 
recognizing the progress of efforts to rebuild the affected Gulf Coast 
   region, commending the persistence of the people of the States of 
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and reaffirming Congress' 
                    commitment to restore and renew.

Whereas, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina inflicted catastrophic damage as 
        a Category 3 hurricane and caused damage estimated at $81,000,000,000 in 
        the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida;
Whereas Hurricane Katrina is 1 of the 5 deadliest hurricanes in United States 
        history with a recorded 1,822 fatalities, including 1,577 in Louisiana, 
        238 in Mississippi, 14 in Florida, 2 in Georgia, and 2 in Alabama, 
        according to the National Hurricane Center;
Whereas more than 1,200,000 people were under some type of evacuation order, 
        including New Orleans' first mandatory evacuation in the city's history;
Whereas 785,000 Gulf Coast residents were displaced, and many remain displaced 
        to this day;
Whereas hundreds of thousands were unemployed as a result of devastation to 
        businesses;
Whereas tens of thousands of homes and businesses from Louisiana to Florida were 
        destroyed by the flooding;
Whereas 3,000,000 people were left without electricity for weeks;
Whereas major highways were destroyed, including the Interstate 10 Twin Span 
        Bridge connecting the cities of New Orleans and Slidell in Louisiana;
Whereas the Louisiana Superdome sheltered 26,000 evacuees and suffered roof 
        leaks and other significant damage from strong winds;
Whereas neighboring cities and States took in thousands of displaced residents 
        and provided medical care and shelter at make-shift hospitals, such as 
        the Katrina Clinic at the Astrodome/Reliant Center Complex in Houston, 
        Texas;
Whereas the United States Coast Guard rescued more than 24,273 people and 
        assisted with the evacuation of 9,462 patients and medical personnel 
        from hospitals and nursing homes;
Whereas the United States Armed Forces orchestrated one of the largest domestic 
        rescue operations in history, with command centers at the Emergency 
        Operations Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Louis Armstrong New 
        Orleans International Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Naval Air 
        Station in Pensacola, Florida, and Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, 
        Mississippi;
Whereas the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, America's 
        Second Harvest (now known as Feeding America), Emergency Communities, 
        Catholic Charities, PRC Compassion, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, 
        and other charitable organizations provided crucial food, water, and 
        hygiene products to victims;
Whereas countless first responders, such as police officers, emergency medical 
        personnel, and firefighters, from across the United States worked around 
        the clock to provide care for and to protect the safety of the residents 
        of the affected communities;
Whereas more than 70 countries and international organizations pledged monetary 
        donations in excess of $854,000,000, including a pledge of $500,000,000 
        by the State of Kuwait, and $100,000,000 by the State of Qatar, which 
        awarded 109 full tuition scholarships to Tulane University students 
        affected by the storm and restored 100 homes for low-income victims in 
        the historic Treme/Lafitte neighborhood of New Orleans;
Whereas Louisiana's Piggyback Program was created to support affordability for 
        low-income residents in areas receiving Gulf Opportunity Zone Low Income 
        Housing Tax Credits;
Whereas the greater New Orleans Small Business Development Center helped more 
        than 500 fishermen secure recovery funding through the Technical 
        Assistance for Small Firms program;
Whereas following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, medical residents and 
        faculty, as well as grassroots organizations quickly mobilized to 
        provide immediate health services and have since developed as a group of 
        25 organizations with over 90 sites and this group has built a unique, 
        high quality, efficient, community-based primary care network for the 
        greater New Orleans area and now serve as the primary source of health 
        care for approximately 290,000 people;
Whereas the Healthcare Recovery Training System (HeaRTS) at the Southwest 
        Louisiana Area Health Education Center provided health care training to 
        more than 2,300 people, including 500 participants in the program who 
        were displaced by the storm;
Whereas the Jefferson Parish Chamber of Commerce and nonprofit Cafe Reconcile in 
        New Orleans offered culinary arts training for at-risk youth;
Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration improved its storm 
        tracking guidance by adding 8 Caribbean observation buoys and expanding 
        its satellite communication system network to include 25 coastal Weather 
        Forecast Offices;
Whereas in 2005, Congress directed the United States Army Corps of Engineers to 
        deliver a plan to Congress for providing coastal Louisiana with Category 
        5-equivalent hurricane protection;
Whereas the United States Army Corps of Engineers has not yet provided Congress 
        with a concrete set of recommendations to achieve this level of 
        protection;
Whereas Louisiana loses approximately 25 square miles of coastal land each year 
        and coastal restoration efforts along the Louisiana coast and barrier 
        protection at the mouth of Lake Pontchartrain to protect against storm 
        surge are necessary components of achieving Category 5-equivalent 
        hurricane protection for South Louisiana;
Whereas the United States Army Corps of Engineers has been constructing stronger 
        levees by replacing failed I-Wall design floodwalls with stronger T-wall 
        or L-wall design floodwalls and reinforcing the most vulnerable 
        undamaged I-Walls and surge protection closures;
Whereas these improved levees are an essential aspect of providing Category 5-
        equivalent hurricane protection;
Whereas the convention and visitors bureaus across the Gulf Coast attempt to 
        restore tourism, particularly the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention 
        and Visitors Bureau, which won the bid to host the Super Bowl XLVII in 
        2013;
Whereas colleges and universities in the hurricane-ravished communities continue 
        to struggle due to low enrollment and have been forced to restructure 
        and reduce their programs; and
Whereas social, economic, and mental health effects are compounded due to trauma 
        suffered from the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Hurricane Katrina: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses its support to the victims of Hurricane 
        Katrina;
            (2) commends the courageous efforts of those who assisted 
        in the recovery progress;
            (3) recognizes the contributions of the communities in 
        Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida to the United 
        States; and
            (4) reaffirms its commitment to rebuild, renew, and restore 
        the Gulf Coast region.
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