[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 108 (Monday, July 21, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H7172-H7174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TORNADO SHELTERS ACT
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 23) to amend the Housing and Community Development Act of
1974 to authorize communities to use community development block grant
funds for construction of tornado-safe shelters in manufactured home
parks, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 23
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Tornado Shelters Act''.
SEC. 2. CDBG ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.
Section 105(a) of the Housing and Community Development Act
of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5305(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (22), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (23), by striking the period at the end
and inserting a semicolon; and
(3) by inserting after paragraph (23) the following new
paragraph:
``(24) the construction or improvement of tornado-safe
shelters for residents of manufactured housing, and the
provision of assistance (including loans and grants) to
nonprofit and for-profit entities (including owners of
manufactured housing parks) for such construction or
improvement, except that--
``(A) a shelter assisted with amounts provided pursuant to
this paragraph may be located only in a neighborhood
(including a manufactured housing park) that--
``(i) contains not less than 20 manufactured housing units
that are within such proximity to the shelter that the
shelter is available to the residents of such units in the
event of a tornado;
``(ii) consists predominantly of persons of low and
moderate income; and
``(iii) is located within a State in which a tornado has
occurred during the fiscal year for which the amounts to be
used under this paragraph were made available or any of the 3
preceding fiscal years, as determined by the Secretary after
consultation with the Director of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency;
[[Page H7173]]
``(B) such a shelter shall comply with standards for
construction and safety as the Secretary, after consultation
with the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency,
shall provide to ensure protection from tornadoes;
``(C) such a shelter shall be of a size sufficient to
accommodate, at a single time, all occupants of manufactured
housing units located within the neighborhood in which the
shelter is located; and
``(D) amounts may not be used for a shelter as provided
under this paragraph unless there is located, within the
neighborhood in which the shelter is located (or, in the case
of a shelter located in a manufactured housing park, within
1,500 feet of such park), a warning siren that is operated in
accordance with such local, regional, or national disaster
warning programs or systems as the Secretary, after
consultation with the Director of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, considers appropriate to ensure adequate
notice of occupants of manufactured housing located in such
neighborhood or park of a tornado; and''.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
In addition to any amounts otherwise made available for
grants under title I of the Housing and Community Development
Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.), there is authorized to
be appropriated for assistance only for activities pursuant
to section 105(a)(24) of such Act $5,000,000 for fiscal year
2004.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Bachus) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus).
General Leave
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on this legislation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Alabama?
There was no objection.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes to speak in support
of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank many of those responsible
for the bill coming up today. I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio
(Chairman Oxley), the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney), the chairman of
the subcommittee. I also want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts
(Mr. Frank), who has always been very supportive of this legislation.
This legislation has had overwhelming, bipartisan support.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation is a response to something that every
day, during at least 6 months out of the year, almost every day, we
open the newspaper and we read where someone has been killed by a
tornado. Now, we cannot prevent tornadoes from happening, but we can
save lives when those tornadoes do happen, because the technology is
there. The technology today, particularly on an F4, F5 tornado, the
technology is there to give residents a 30- or 40-minute warning of a
tornado bearing down on their community.
Now, what many residents have when they get these warnings is they
have a place of shelter, they have a place to go. Many residents have a
site-built home, they go down in the basement of that home, and that
offers protection; or they go into an interior room. Manufactured
housing residents do not have a basement. That is pretty obvious. They
often do not have an interior room. The Society of Civil Engineers, who
have endorsed this bill this week, actually pointed out the fact that
this is something that manufactured housing communities need, and they
have endorsed this legislation.
Because what this legislation will do is it will allow, wherever we
have concentrations of manufactured housing, sometimes referred to as
mobile homes, it will allow community development money to be used, and
this is the option of the city or the county, to be used for a storm
shelter for those residents. I have actually in the past few months
visited two storm shelters, and they offer almost 100 percent
protection from these storms. Coupled with the warning and the shelter,
we should be able to reduce fatalities substantially.
Last year, the House of Representatives passed this bill, and Senator
Tim Johnson tried to bring it up or attempted to bring it up; he made
efforts to bring it up in the Senate. But for whatever reason, that
bill did not come up. Senator Johnson and many other Senators have
joined with House Members in asking that this bill be a priority this
year.
Last year, when this House overwhelmingly passed this bill, I
introduced the picture of a little girl named Whitney. Whitney was a
resident of a manufactured house, a mobile home in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
She shared that home with her mother and her 16-month-old baby brother,
and also a sister. When a tornado struck their home, it threw Whitney
out of the home several hundred yards. Because it actually took hours
and hours to find her, and she was actually mistaken for a pile of
rubble, but an Associated Press photographer was there on the scene
when Whitney was found and her little picture with her torn dress and
her bloodied face went all over the United States. What a lot of people
that saw that picture did not know is that Whitney's little brother did
not make it through that storm. Whitney's little sister and Whitney
spent days and weeks in a hospital recovering, but now they are home
with their mother.
What Whitney did not have and what a sixth of the people in the
United States who live in manufactured housing do not have is they do
not have a shelter from the storm.
This storm was predicted to go through her community some 30 minutes
before it went through her community. Her parents had a warning, but
what they did not have is a place to hide. In fact, they were advised
wisely: do not get in an automobile.
So I close by simply saying, this legislation was too late for
Whitney's little brother and Whitney's father, but it is not too late
for millions of American families today.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am glad to join in supporting this. The gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Waters), a member of the subcommittee, worked
collaboratively with the gentleman from Alabama. This has been an
important cause that he has brought to our attention, and we appreciate
that.
I should note that one of the ways in which we were able to
cooperate on this bill was it is coming forward under the rubric of the
community development block grant program, so we made sure that is, in
fact, consistent with the community development block grant program. It
is also additional money, so it does not take away from any existing
programs, and it is entirely worthwhile.
I would just make two points about the broader implications of this
bill. First of all, it is particularly for manufactured housing.
Manufactured housing is a very important housing resource for low- and
moderate-income homeowners and residents. And I hope that it will be a
hallmark of this committee in a bipartisan way that we will find other
ways to protect this important housing resource. It does not often get
the respect it deserves, either in the culture or in the law.
{time} 1415
I am determined that we will do our best.
Second, I am glad to be here joining my Republican colleagues in
creating a new Federal program in which new Federal money is made
available for an important societal need.
Now, it is not a huge amount of money for the whole country, $5
million. It might, as the need evidences itself, go beyond that. What
it shows us is that there are important needs in this society; and the
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) has just eloquently sketched out
the need for this kind of shelter to protect vulnerable people from
these tornados.
What we are saying is, this is a need that will not be met
adequately for the people of this country unless the Federal Government
creates a new category of funding and provides Federal funds for that.
I am glad to do that because it is an important program that we are
establishing. It is an important need that we are meeting, and as I
said, it underlines the importance of manufactured housing and an
appropriate Federal response to social programs.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. I yield to the gentleman from Alabama.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman and also the
[[Page H7174]]
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis), my home State, who joined me along
with my fellow Alabamans, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Everett) and
the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) in being original cosponsors of
this bill.
What we saw was little Whitney and any citizen that lives in
manufactured housing is basically discriminated against in Federal law
today because there are not funds available for mobile home shelters
for them. Had she lived on a site-built house, the Federal Government
would have provided money for a tornado shelter.
One thing that we are doing with this legislation is we are going to
allow all of our residents to be prepared for our next tornado, all our
community, not just those that live in site-built homes.
We need to be careful as we move forward that we do have legislation
that does not discriminate against any of our residents. And in this
case, manufactured housing, many of our low- and middle-income
residents choose this as a most affordable option, but when they choose
this option they should not be discriminated against. They ought to,
particularly in those areas that are tornado prone, also have an
opportunity for those programs that had been created to protect them
from this type of disaster or to mitigate the circumstances.
Had a shelter like this been in place in my community when this
tornado hit, Whitney's father would be there to take care of her today.
Whitney's little brother would be with her. Because they are not, she
has continued to incur medical bills and her mother has continued to
have to have assistance. And I do not want that to be the case.
I want us to be able to offer these people protection and security,
and this is a very affordable way to do that and it is very sound. It
works as the recent endorsement from the American Society of Civil
Engineers shows.
Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, every year, an average of 800 tornadoes sweep
across the United States, resulting in 80 deaths, more than 1,500
injuries, and millions of dollars in property damage. One of nature's
most powerful and violent storms, large tornadoes often record wind
speeds in excess of 250 miles per hour.
Despite rapid advances in tornado warning technologies, residents of
manufactured housing communities often do not have adequate access to
proper shelter. Prior to this legislation, federal monies were not
available for tornado shelter construction within or around
manufactured housing communities.
H.R. 23, the ``Tornado Shelters Act,'' introduced by Congressman
Spencer Bachus, amends section 105 of the Housing and Community
Development Act of 1974 by authorizing communities to use CDBG monies
to construct or improve tornado-safe shelters located in manufactured
housing parks.
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is generally
recognized as the primary vehicle for targeted community development of
cities, counties and rural areas to principally benefit low- and
moderate-income persons. Grantees may use the funds for housing
activities, economic development, public facilities (such as day care
centers or health centers), public improvements (such as street
repairs), public services (such as social programs for elderly, youth
or abused), urban renewal, or planning and administration.
Shelters built under the auspices of this bill must be located in a
neighborhood (including a manufactured housing park) that has twenty or
more manufactured housing units, populated by persons of predominantly
low- to moderate-income, and located in an area where a tornado
occurred within the current or three (3) previous fiscal years. Each
constructed shelter must comply with HUD's standards for construction
and safety, and it must be of sufficient size to accommodate all
residents of the manufactured housing park at one time.
The bill further stipulates that an operational warning siren, which
ensures adequate notice of a tornado, must be located within a
neighborhood where the shelter is located or within 1,500 feet of a
manufactured housing park. The final provision authorizes $5 million in
appropriations for FY 2004.
In light of the recent devastating tornadoes in the South and
Midwest, this legislation is not only timely, but also pertinent. As
many of you may know, the tornado season began in early March and
continues through early summer. Mr. Bachus has often said that in the
face of a tornado threat we can do two things--pray and prepare. Pray
it won't happen again and prepare for the next line of twisters.
While the citizens can pray, our government and this Congress can
help them prepare. I would encourage members to support this
legislation and I urge its final passage.
Mr. OXLEY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to support H.R.
23--``The Tornado Shelters Act,'' introduced by my Colleague, the
Gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Bachus.
The legislation would permit the use of CDBG (Community Development
Block Grant) funds to construct or enhance tornado shelters in
manufactured housing communities or for residents of manufactured
housing.
Mr. Speaker, while my area of the country suffers outbreaks of
tornadoes, it is far from ``Tornado Alley'' located in other parts of
the Midwest and the Deep South. Therefore, I understand and appreciate
the urgency to pass this legislation.
As many of you may know, the tornado season started in early March
and usually continues through July.
In this calendar year-2003, 54 people have died from 18 tornadoes,
with the two worst in Tennessee and Missouri on May 4th with 11 and 8
fatalities, respectfully.
In 2002, 55 people died from tornadoes.
The biggest outbreak of tornadoes occurred on April 3 and 4, 1974,
and 147 tornadoes touching down in 13 U.S. states. The outbreak killed
310 in the U.S., 8 in Canada, with 5,454 U.S. injuries and 23 hurt in
Canada. Forty-eight of the tornadoes were killers. Seven produced
damage rated F5--the maximum possible--and 23 more were rated F4. This
was one of only two outbreaks with over 100 confirmed tornadoes, the
other being with Hurricane Beulah in 1967 (115 tornadoes).
The most destructive tornado in history was the Bridge Creek-Moore-
Oklahoma City-Midwest City, OK, tornado of May 3, 1999, with over $1
billion in damage, both in absolute amount and normalized to 1999
dollars.
Community tornado shelters are excellent ideas for apartment
complexes, schools, mobile home parks, factories, office complexes and
other facilities where large groups of people live, work or study.
I am struck by the words of my colleague from Alabama, the site of
far too many of these killer storms. Mr. Bachus says that in the face
of the tornado threat we can do two things--pray and prepare. Pray it
won't happen again, and prepare for the next line of twisters.
While the citizens can pray, our government can help us prepare. This
common-sense legislation would allow communities to build or improve
tornado shelters in manufactured housing communities.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation and thank Mr. Bachus for his
leadership.
I urge passage of this legislation.
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests
for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BACHUS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Whitfield). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 23, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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