[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 105 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8957-S8958]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL

  Mr. GRAHAM of Florida. Mr. President, I rise today to say thank you 
on behalf of the millions of citizens of my State who have been 
affected by the incredible events of the last month.
  Thank you to all of the State and local officials who took quick and 
decisive actions that saved many lives. Thank you to the first 
responders who helped citizens evacuate and continued working to keep 
people safe throughout these major storms. Thank you to the thousands 
of volunteers from the Red Cross, who staffed hundreds of shelters that 
served as the only safe haven for many Floridians. Thank you to the 
professionals from FEMA and the Small Business Administration, who 
activated immediately and began to respond in a manner I have not 
witnessed before.
  I did a workday as a hurricane recovery volunteer in Port Charlotte, 
FL, on August 31, assisting Red Cross volunteers to distribute midday 
meals to people who were still without power and then going door-to-
door with FEMA workers for follow-up damage assessments. I was moved by 
the gratitude on the faces of people fighting to

[[Page S8958]]

recover some degree of normalcy in their lives, even as they face 
daunting odds--roofs open to the sky, shattered windows, no air 
conditioning, their possessions scattered and broken.
  Every June 1, the citizens in my State prepare for another hurricane 
season. Some have lived in Florida all their lives and are very well 
versed in hurricane procedures. Some are new residents and have never 
been through a large storm. Nothing, however, could have prepared 
Floridians for the recent series of devastating events which started 
with Tropical Storm Bonnie striking the panhandle in early August, 
followed by Hurricane Charley crashing into Florida's west coast on 
August 13, and continued with Hurricane Frances attacking the entire 
State this past weekend. Now we are tracking Hurricane Ivan, which is 
again headed in our direction.
  It is remarkable that these massive storms, which impacted nearly all 
of the 67 counties in the State of Florida, have caused only 29 
confirmed fatalities. Hurricane Charley, a category 4 storm with winds 
in excess of 135 miles per hour, and Hurricane Frances, a category 2 
storm with winds near 100 miles per hour, could have been much 
deadlier. However, while human losses were mercifully low, Florida's 
infrastructure suffered greatly.
  Now we must move forward and look toward cleaning up and rebuilding 
our homes and businesses. I applaud the Senate's quick approval of 
supplemental appropriations of $2 billion in emergency assistance 
through both FEMA and the Small Business Administration. After 
responding to these major events in my State as well as the recent 
tropical storm in Virginia, FEMA is stretched extremely thin and needs 
an influx of funds to keep operations up and running and planning for 
the long-term recovery.

  In the last three weeks alone, FEMA has issued over $100 million in 
individual assistance funds to Florida residents. Over $2.7 million of 
that has already been allocated for Hurricane Frances' victims, while 
the storm is still moving up the Eastern seaboard. The SBA has already 
approved over $23 million in disaster loans from Charley and with a 
filing deadline for assistance extended until October 12, 2004, we 
expect that number to increase exponentially.
  The supplemental appropriations bill passed yesterday is only the 
first installment of badly needed funds for recovery. We must get an 
accurate assessment of the damage and determine the appropriate amount 
of funding needed and the appropriate Federal agencies to assist 
specific sectors of the State in rebuilding.
  The physical infrastructure needs must be determined. How much damage 
did the road network suffer? Early estimates from Charley alone total 
over $65 million for the Federal-aid system. Several Florida airports 
sustained major damage, which totals nearly $34 million. These are just 
a few quick estimates. Across the board, we need to determine the 
extent of damage to Florida's infrastructure from both Charley and 
Frances--the highway and transit network, airports, seaports and 
schools.
  Additionally, our Florida growers have been devastated. Early 
estimates top $225 million in citrus losses for Charley alone, with 
over 40 percent of the citrus crop lost. It is too early to tell, but 
losses from Frances could top $800 million. The crop insurance program 
will not be able to cover losses of this magnitude. Congress must step 
in to help Florida farmers.
  These examples are just a small snapshot of the needs of our State. 
As we determine the amount of damage in other areas, we will need to 
appropriate funds for other Federal agencies, such as Army Corps of 
Engineers, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, 
Department of Defense, NASA and others.
  We must move quickly to put together an accurate assessment of the 
impact that these storms have had on the State of Florida and respond 
to this need with adequate Federal funding. I look forward to working 
with my colleagues in the coming days to achieve this goal.

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