III 111th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 641 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 23, 2010 Ms. Landrieu (for herself, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Cornyn, and Mrs. Hutchison) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Observing the 5th anniversary of the date on which Hurricane Rita devastated the coasts of Louisiana and Texas.

Whereas on September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane just east of the Texas-Louisiana border, between Sabine Pass and Johnson's Bayou, with wind speeds of 120 miles per hour, and further devastated the Gulf Coast, which had already been hit by Hurricane Katrina; Whereas Hurricane Rita caused 7 deaths, forced 3,000,000 residents to evacuate their homes, caused flooding and tornadoes in the States of Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama, and, according to the National Climatic Data Center, left 1,000,000 people without electricity; Whereas damages from Hurricane Rita are estimated at $11,300,000,000; Whereas in 2005, Hurricane Rita was the second hurricane to reach Category 5 status in the Gulf of Mexico, which, according to the National Climatic Data Center, is only the third time that more than one Category 5 storm has formed in the Atlantic in the same year; Whereas the storm surge from Hurricane Rita was as high as 15 feet near the landfall site and, according to the United States Geological Survey, traveled as far as 50 miles inland, causing disastrous flooding and massive loss of property; Whereas tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the States of Louisiana and Texas were destroyed by the flooding; and Whereas the National Wetlands Center of the United States Geological Survey indicates that 217 square miles of the coastal land of the State of Louisiana were transformed to water after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)observes the 5th anniversary of the date on which Hurricane Rita devastated the coasts of the States of Louisiana and Texas; (2)expresses the support of the Senate to the survivors of Hurricane Rita and the condolences of the Senate to the families of the victims of Hurricane Rita; (3)commends the courageous efforts of those who assisted in the response to the storm and the recovery process; (4)recognizes the contributions the affected communities in the States of Louisiana and Texas have made to the United States; and (5)reaffirms the commitment of the Senate to rebuild, renew, and restore the Gulf Coast region.