[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 110 (Wednesday, September 7, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H7681-H7689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1045
    EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES OF NATION TO VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA

  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it shall be 
in order at any time to consider in the House the resolution (H. Res. 
425); the resolution shall be considered as read; the previous question 
shall be considered as ordered on the resolution to its adoption 
without intervening motion or demand for division of the question 
except: (1) 1 hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the 
chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure; and (2) one motion to recommit.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Louisiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of 
today, I call up the resolution (H. Res. 425) expressing the 
condolences of the Nation to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, 
commending the resiliency of the people of the States of Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Alabama, and committing to stand by them in the relief 
and recovery efforts, and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of H. Res. 425 is as follows:

                               H. Res 425

       Whereas, on August 28, 2005, Hurricane Katrina reached 
     landfall devastating the Gulf Coast states;
       Whereas there has yet to be a full accounting for all our 
     citizens whose lives were tragically lost;
       Whereas the cost in human suffering is ongoing for hundreds 
     of thousands of people who have lost loved ones, homes, and 
     livelihoods;
       Whereas immediate humanitarian aid is still critically 
     needed in many of the devastated regions;
       Whereas the devastation on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, 
     Louisiana, and Alabama is catastrophic;
       Whereas the City of New Orleans is tragically flooded and 
     the surrounding communities of St. Bernard and Plaquemines 
     parishes are devastated;
       Whereas every city on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is 
     severely damaged or destroyed, including Waveland, Bay St. 
     Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport, Biloxi, Ocean 
     Springs, Moss Point, and Pascagoula;
       Whereas the States of Florida, Texas, and Georgia also 
     sustained damage;
       Whereas Coast Guard search and rescue teams, police, 
     firefighters, the National Guard, and many ordinary citizens 
     have risked their lives to save others;
       Whereas doctors, nurses, and medical personnel worked 
     expeditiously to ensure that hospitals, medical centers, and 
     triage units provided needed care;
       Whereas the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and 
     other volunteer organizations and charities are supplying 
     hurricane victims with food, water, and shelter;
       Whereas the State of Texas and numerous other States have 
     welcomed tens of thousands of victims from Louisiana and 
     provided them with aid and comfort;
       Whereas the Army Corps of Engineers has worked to reinforce 
     levees in Louisiana; and
       Whereas thousands of volunteers and government employees 
     from across the Nation have committed time and resources to 
     help with recovery efforts: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
       (1) expresses the condolences of the Nation to the victims 
     of Hurricane Katrina;
       (2) commends the resiliency and courage of the people of 
     the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama; and
       (3) commits to provide the necessary resources and to stand 
     by the people of the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and 
     Alabama in the relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of today, 
the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany) and the gentlewoman from 
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany).


                             General Leave

  Mr. BOUSTANY. 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 H. Res. 425.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Louisiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives expresses the condolences 
of the Nation to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and this resolution 
expresses those condolences. It commends the resiliency and courage of 
the people of the States of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama, and it 
commits to provide the necessary resources and to stand by the people 
of the States of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama in the relief, 
recovery, and rebuilding efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, the Senate approved a similar resolution last night, and 
bipartisan support for recognizing the work of first responders and to 
express congressional concern for those displaced by the hurricane and 
those who died is in order. My district, the Seventh Congressional 
District of Louisiana, did not suffer significant damage from Hurricane 
Katrina, but we face enormous challenges of sheltering and supporting 
the numerous evacuees now in my district. The rest of our State down in 
the New Orleans area and south, in Plaquemines Parish and St. Bernard 
Parish were devastated.
  Mr. Speaker, we are up to the challenge. In my district, in Lake 
Charles, there are an estimated 25,000 evacuees, and in Lafayette, my 
hometown, there are an estimated 40,000 evacuees. Official tallies are 
much lower because many had family or friends to stay with or had funds 
to pay for hotel rooms, but this is going to be temporary. Almost all 
available housing has been rented or bought. Schools are preparing to 
accept thousands of new students. In fact, we are already currently 
enrolling many of these students.
  State and local officials are concerned about being able to support 
evacuees for the long months of recovery. Local community organizations 
are stepping up to help, but have limited resources. The evacuation 
process continues. Much media attention has been on New Orleans, but 
there are other areas of Louisiana that remain under 10 feet of water 
or more. A number of communities in the Third District of Louisiana, 
represented by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Melancon), have been 
completely destroyed. Entire towns in Mississippi have been destroyed. 
There are residents of these communities still waiting for aid, food, 
water, and health supplies.
  The recovery process will be long and expensive. The Federal 
Government must continue to step in and bring its resources to bear in 
this effort.
  Mr. Speaker, the visual images have been heartbreaking, and I have 
seen

[[Page H7682]]

the damage with my own eyes. I have spoken to the many victims who have 
been affected, and the human stories are unfathomable to hear. And, 
like many, I am frustrated with the delay and the bureaucracy that has 
interfered with getting relief and supplies to our evacuees. But this 
is not the time to point fingers; this is not the time for blame.
  There is an enormous amount of work that still needs to be done and 
done in a bipartisan manner. Accountability will come, and I know 
Congress will look into the disaster.
  I urge my colleagues to rise above the vicious rhetoric that does not 
provide the thousands of children in my district with school supplies 
or uniforms, or does not provide displaced small businesses with the 
help to get back on their feet, or does not provide opportunities for 
families to reunite or housing for seniors with care or comfort.
  Mr. Speaker, this is going to take time. It is going to take a 
monumental effort. We must pull together to accomplish all of this.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work of the gentleman from Louisiana 
(Mr. Boustany) in coming forward with this bipartisan resolution.
  I am going to offer some formal remarks, and then I am going to say a 
word further about the irony of my managing this bill this morning.
  Mr. Speaker, 10 days ago Hurricane Katrina slammed into America's 
gulf coast. The aftermath of the hurricane has prompted one of the 
largest response mobilizations in United States history. At the very 
core of all the relief effort is the overwhelming concern we all have 
for our fellow Americans, ordinary citizens who have become victims of 
this vast, unprecedented devastation.
  Thousands of local State and Federal workers and volunteers are 
engaged in life-saving activities. Life-sustaining activities, 
supported by virtually all national charities, are spreading across all 
parts of the United States. Sheltering and housing initiatives so vital 
to the well-being of the victims have been activated all across the 
country. These efforts are aimed at providing some measure of efforts 
and relief to the tens of thousands of displaced Americans, many who 
survived with merely the clothes on their backs.
  It is with a heavy heart, but with a deep sense of hope for a better 
future that I join all of my colleagues today in expressing my deep 
sense of sorrow and the condolences of the Nation to all the victims of 
Hurricane Katrina. I commend the resilience of all who have survived 
and all who are helping them to survive and am awed by their enduring 
vision for a better future.
  For the present, I will work to fulfill our Nation's commitment to 
each victim that all the necessary resources and the might of the 
country will be used to relieve their suffering and to provide the 
resources they need for the brighter future characteristic of our 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, I say the irony is, I was at an opening of an employment 
and training center for SOME, So Others Might Eat, and commenting there 
on the irony of the opening of that employment and training center at a 
time when just yesterday I had gone to Dulles Airport to retrieve 300 
evacuees from a plane, who now reside in the Armory just a few blocks 
from here. And I said the symbolism of this center opening now is not 
lost on me, and the first moment I have to tell my colleagues about the 
symmetry between the opening of this center and the evacuees here, I am 
going to do it. Then I got a phone call saying we need someone to 
manage the bill expressing our condolences as a Nation and our resolve 
for the victims on the gulf coast.
  Mr. Speaker, as I left this center, this new center where I had 
indicated that here in D.C. is doing very well, but certainly the 
poorest part of the region, surrounded by very rich counties, I was 
proud of my city because we had seen the need and said, Come here even 
though there are many unemployed here.
  The man who runs this new SOME center said, We are quickly filling 
the 60 slots; we have 20 slots left. I am on the other side of the 
Anacostia in Ward 7, and Wards 7 and 8 are the high unemployment wards. 
So if there are only 60 slots, there are 60 times 60 people in Ward 7 
alone that need it. And so he said, I think we ought to give the slots 
to the people who got off the plane yesterday. And I said, What a 
wonderful contribution that would be. We all have to find a 
contribution to make, and for you to contribute 20 of 60 slots from the 
highest unemployment pool in the city is to make the kind of sacrifice 
our country needs to be prepared to make now. And that is the kind of 
sacrifice we are seeing all over the country.
  I want to say that in this House we have got to ask ourselves, what 
sacrifice are we prepared to make? We have assumed the best of all 
possible worlds, but what we cannot control is always possible and what 
we cannot control has happened.
  I hope that in the coming weeks, as we finish the session, we will 
remember that it is time for us to make sacrifices. Already the Senate 
appears to say it is not going to bring forward the permanent repeal of 
the estate tax. If it took a tragedy to do it, then it has been done. 
The mega-rich will not get richer this time around. I just think in the 
spirit of trying to figure out how we can go home and say this is 
something we did that we would not otherwise have done but for Katrina 
is what we need to say.
  Of course, we will go home and talk about the $20 billion and now the 
$40 billion. That, of course, is mandatory. That is what we are here 
for. The real issue for me is, what is it that we wanted to do, talking 
to both sides of the aisle, that we now forswear, that we now say, in 
the name of the greatest natural tragedy in memory, we decide that we 
will not do that that we most wanted to do.
  Some of us wanted to do spending on some things. Some of us may want 
to do a little more tax cutting, but it is time for us to become 
introspective about being visited with the most massive natural tragedy 
of our time.
  My heart is with the people of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and 
the entire gulf coast. That is true of America generally. But as people 
take in people in their own homes, as people send money, we have to ask 
ourselves, what will we do, what will we say is the sacrifice we as 
Members of Congress have made as a body when we go home next week?

                              {time}  1100

  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster), who is the distinguished 
subcommittee chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, 
Public Buildings and Emergency Management on the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure.
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Louisiana for 
yielding this time.
  I join my colleagues today to convey to the people of the gulf coast 
a very simple message: you are not alone.
  Time and again, this Nation has banded together to overcome terrible 
challenges it has faced, and we will do so again to overcome the 
challenge that is Hurricane Katrina. I, like most all of my colleagues, 
have been inundated with phone calls from constituents offering their 
support and assistance to those in need during this terrible time; and 
at present, we are working through the gentleman from Louisiana's (Mr. 
Boustany) office to get those resources from Pennsylvania down to 
Louisiana and the gulf coast.
  The people of the gulf coast need to know also that we in Congress 
will do whatever it takes to help them overcome this difficult time; 
and more importantly, we will be there in the long run to help them 
recover.
  Recovery from this disaster will require not just the pumping of 
flood water and rebuilding of homes and businesses, the reconstruction 
of utilities, water and sewer, roads, levees and countless other 
activities. Recovery will also require the restoration of civic, 
educational, and social institutions. We will be with you during this 
process as well.
  We will spend whatever it takes, implement any changes that are 
needed, and maintain rigorous oversight to ensure the process works 
well.

[[Page H7683]]

  As the chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over FEMA, I 
wanted to also urge my colleagues to show restraint in making judgments 
about the response until all of the facts can be gathered. All of the 
facts need to be gathered, not just what we hear as the sound bite on 
the TV today.
  This disaster is quite simply the largest humanitarian challenge the 
Nation has faced on its own shores. The hurricane devastated hundreds 
of miles of shoreline, disrupted power, water, energy sources in all of 
the gulf States, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. There 
are just no parallels in size, scope, or impact to what has happened.
  Now is the time for helping people get the food, water, and medical 
attention that they need. Now is the time to begin looking forward to 
how we will help the people of the gulf States recover and return to 
their homes and places of business. Now is not the time to point 
fingers or cast blame or, even worse, to call for the removal of key 
officials, especially since the response and relief effort is still 
ongoing.
  There will be plenty of time in the coming weeks and months to 
evaluate what happened in the days leading up to and during the storm, 
to meet with responsible officials, to go over who did what and when, 
and, if necessary, to make policy and legislative changes. It is both 
unseemly and inappropriate to try and do so now, while we do not have 
all the facts.
  I again want to express my sincere condolences to the families of 
those that have lost loved ones and pledge my support and the support 
of my constituents to do whatever is necessary to overcome this 
terrible challenge.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I agree with the gentleman that we are not in an atmosphere where we 
can properly evaluate and investigate what has happened here. I do 
think it important to note that the only way to avoid making mistakes 
is to look at the mistakes we have made.
  I do want to say this for the record. It took us a very long time to 
get bipartisan support for a 9/11 Commission. Is anybody in this body 
sorry? What would have happened if history had looked back and said 
there was no independent commission that looked into 9/11?
  In this same way, this natural disaster is the functional equivalent 
of 9/11 for natural disasters. We need an independent commission to do 
the kind of job that the 9/11 Commission did, and I think a fair 
reading of that report is not that it pointed fingers at anybody, but 
that it did advise what it is we should do.
  We should quickly get about the business of appointing a commission 
equal to the task of doing a credible, unbiased, independent 
investigation in the name of the people of the gulf coast who have 
suffered and in the name of the people of the United States of America.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the 
distinguished gentleman from Louisiana for his leadership, and of 
course, express our sympathy and concern for the people of Louisiana, 
Mississippi and Alabama; and I think the Congresswoman is an example of 
the outpouring of concern across the Nation, having received just 
recently a number of evacuees, survivors, into Washington, D.C. It is 
good to know that even people without votes can open their hearts and 
minds to this great and powerful, horrific incident that has occurred, 
a tragedy in our lives.
  Let me first of all say to the members the families, those survivors, 
evacuees, and those who have lost loved ones, we are, in fact, our 
brothers' and sisters' keepers; and through the last 5 days I have been 
reminded more of the Good Samaritan parable in the Bible than at any 
other time in my life. We can say that Americans have certainly been 
the Good Samaritans, but I do want to take this time to acknowledge 
Houstonians and the people of Texas.
  There has been such an outpouring of effort, volunteers coming from 
every walk of life, the mustering together of resources through the 
county, county judges and the mayor of the city of Houston. The 
pictures may not have been as pretty as we would have liked, but the 
immediate response of the Astrodome and the immediate response of the 
coming together of elected persons and now a facility in my 
congressional district, the George R. Brown Convention Center; and the 
thought that went into organizing this process was overwhelming. The 
local responding to the crying out of people who, as I walked through 
those aisles of cots and humanity, babies and elderly and the sickly 
and the strong, each and every one had a thank you on their lips and 
said that they still had hope.
  As they lay there, to each of them I asked the question, were you in 
water? I could not imagine a 1-month-old or twins who were 1 month old 
or toddlers or 9-year-olds or amputees who had been in water, but each 
one had a sense of hope.
  So to Houston, I want to give, if I could, the enormous gratitude of 
the American people because you had willing hands, and I might want to 
acknowledge that the pastors of that community, the religious community 
of all different faiths, they are on their job. Anyone who is asking 
the question where are the pastors, where are the religious leaders, 
they are there. We are hoping they will continue to be there at the 
will of the people, going in and nurturing and counseling and 
worshipping as they desire, not putting it on them, but as they desire. 
I encourage my community to allow all of the pastors into the areas 
where the people are desirous of them to come, but might I, as I offer 
sympathy, offer these points of concern.
  We have to have policies today emphasizing the reunification of 
families, and it is necessary in the emergency supplemental to have the 
technology that will unite all of the shelters across America so that 
families can be reunited. I look forward to working on that language 
that gives the technology and underwrites that cost for local 
communities.
  FEMA has to get more personnel on the ground. We cannot do it with 11 
or 20. We must hire local officials, local people, and hire the victims 
or survivors. They can do it, and train the survivors to do the work 
that FEMA needs, the intake work, the counseling work or getting the 
information. We need to declare the area in this impact area a health 
crisis because we found E. coli. We have got to declare it a health 
crisis.
  We need assistance with law enforcement, and the children have got to 
have special emphasis, language in the emergency supplemental, that 
deals with the plight of children not getting the education, health 
care, not because it is a desire, but we need the capacity.
  Finally, might I say we are, in fact, our brothers' and sisters' 
keepers. We are the Good Samaritans, not by words but by deeds. An 
inquiry of commission is not finger-pointing; it is fact-finding so 
that America knows that the safety net of the Federal Government will 
never leave her abandoned. That is the crux of my advocacy and 
legislation on the inquiry; it is that America will never abandon her 
people.
  God bless all of those who are now surviving, and God bless those who 
have lost their loved ones.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Gohmert). The State of Texas has been very, very generous in 
helping out, reaching out to evacuees.
  Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana, a 
dear friend, for the time.
  We have made a lot of new, dear friends in past days. There have been 
hundreds and thousands of people that have come through our east Texas 
area, and it has been a real privilege and honor to witness and to 
reach out to those folks that are staying in centers all over east 
Texas.
  As my colleague, the gentlewoman from Houston, indicated, they have 
many tens of thousands in Houston; but it has been an amazing thing to 
watch. I have seen people on the networks, I have seen leaders in 
various positions accuse others of being racist in the handling of this 
matter. And I am telling my colleagues what: anybody that says that 
there is racist activity needs to come to east Texas because there 
Martin Luther King, Jr., I think, would be proud to see his dream 
taking effect, where people are judged not by the color of their skin 
but by the content of their character, and even one step further, 
beyond even character, by the depth of the pain and the hurt they are 
experiencing.

[[Page H7684]]

  There are people, whites, blacks, Hispanics, different races, that 
have come together and embraced physically, literally, figuratively. 
The people all over that I have witnessed firsthand have opened their 
arms. They have opened their hearts. They have opened their wallets and 
become as one people, getting through this tragedy.
  Abraham Lincoln is attributed to have said, Those who look for the 
good in man will surely find it. It is true. If we look for the good 
through this tragedy, we find incredible stories and testimonies of the 
goodness of man, of the hope that springs eternal in the human breast. 
They are all over the southern area of America as it is responding to 
this tragedy, and the hope continues.
  I was continually asked by people who have come, many of them from 
New Orleans, most of them from southern Louisiana in our district, do 
you think we will ever rebuild? I am telling my colleagues, there will 
be a rebuilding. New Orleans, southern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, 
southern Alabama will rise again and be a testimony to the strength of 
character and the depth of compassion that exists in this country.
  Our hearts and our prayers go out to those who have lost loved ones, 
who are continually reaching out trying to find their loved ones. We 
continue to help. The gentlewoman from Texas had a good idea, but our 
prayers and our efforts and our money will go to help those people.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman's courtesy 
in permitting me to speak on this resolution.
  The devastation of Hurricane Katrina has presented us with an 
unprecedented opportunity to focus the spotlight of public attention 
and political concern on not just doing the best job possible for the 
victims of this tragic storm but make it less likely that others suffer 
needlessly in the future. I think that this is the best way to honor 
the memory of the thousands who have died and respect the losses of 
tens of thousands more who are living.
  I agree that the last thing we need to do is to jump to conclusions 
or be satisfied by drawing up a list of suspects responsible for what 
went wrong. There will be plenty of time to do this as the sad tragedy 
continues to unfold; but after having been in Congress for a decade, 
the greatest danger now I fear on the floor of the House is that we, 
under the pressure, will adopt a quick fix so that Congress looks like 
it is doing something.

                              {time}  1115

  While we focus relentlessly on rescue and relief, it is not too early 
to think about how to make sure that not only the residents of the Gulf 
of Mexico States are better off in the long run, but that all Americans 
are safer and more secure.
  What is frustrating for me is not that this was just so obvious. I am 
tempted to ask how any official could assert the failure of the levees 
was unforeseen. Steps could have been taken to moderate the losses. I 
truly believe that thousands of people were killed, injured or lost 
their homes unnecessarily, and we must assure that it never happens 
again.
  As Members of Congress, we are all concerned about the 
administration's well-publicized problems with performance, but I also 
know that long-term security must also start with State and local 
governments who must pay careful attention to making sure that people 
are not put in harm's way in the first instance. Businesses and 
individuals are going to have to share responsibility for their actions 
and their policies.
  I am also concerned that we here in Congress acknowledge our 
responsibilities, because ultimately they are our budgets. We establish 
the Corps of Engineers' project list. We are the ones who put FEMA into 
the Department of Homeland Security. It is important for us to draw the 
right lessons from this situation. The rushed reaction to 9/11 put FEMA 
in a flawed Department of Homeland Security, which haunts us today and 
contributed to the misery of Katrina's victims.
  We should establish fundamental principles from the outset that guide 
reconstruction. One critical overarching principle which is obvious, 
but sadly has not been practiced in the past, is that there should be 
no Federal investment that merely puts people back in harm's way and 
leaves the environment the same or worse than before. Our investments 
and our actions must leave people and the environment better than it 
was before. We must make a commitment for what we do in metropolitan 
New Orleans and indeed throughout the tri-State region of devastation 
to be a model about how to do it right. We must use this specific 
opportunity on a broad level to do the planning correctly.
  As someone who has been working on these issues since long before 
coming to Congress, I look forward to working with all my colleagues, 
for we must come forward with our suggestions to advance the serious 
discussions and highlight the critical elements that must be included 
in any final plan. We must, at the end of the day, make sure that these 
communities are more livable and that all these families, indeed all 
American families, are safer, healthier, and more economically secure.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I am now pleased to yield 5 minutes to the 
distinguished gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Baker), my colleague and 
friend who has been involved in the relief efforts.
  Mr. BAKER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman and doctor, for 
yielding me this time, and I want to express my appreciation to him for 
his leadership in bringing this matter to the House's attention this 
morning.
  And to the Chair and to Members I wish to express deep appreciation. 
I see my good friend, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jefferson), 
here this morning, whose district has been so adversely affected. I 
want to express to the Members of the House and to the Senate our 
appreciation for the extraordinary generosity, concern, and love that 
has been expressed in these preceding days.
  To all Americans who have given of themselves, their time, their 
financial resources, their assets, it is an extraordinary thing to be 
on the end of people's generosity in a time of crisis, and it is a bit 
overwhelming. I can tell you that every dollar sent will be utilized 
for the highest and best purpose, that every bottle of water, every 
asset they choose to give us is indeed warranted and justified; and we 
are only in the early days of our difficulty.
  I am told that there are areas in New Orleans where water may not yet 
be completely moved for another 80 days. So the stories will continue 
to unfold a day at a time, a week at a time, as the scope of this 
tragedy becomes fully appreciated.
  To my fellow congressmen, the gentleman from South Louisiana (Mr. 
Melancon), whose St. Bernard Parish is at the moment 10 feet under 
water; to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor), who has lost his 
personal residence and all his congressional capabilities; to his 
staff, who have also lost their personal assets; and to Senator Lott, 
who lost his home, which had stood for 151 years on the coast of 
Mississippi and endured the 200 mile-an-hour wrath of Hurricane Camille 
in 1969 and had no expectation that this storm would bring the 
consequences it brought.
  On Sunday morning, before the storm's arrival on the following 
Monday, we heard this from the media: The storm has been downgraded 
from a Category 5 to a Category 4. It has now moved on an eastward 
track and will likely miss the city of New Orleans, and the evacuation 
has proceeded in an orderly and efficient manner. People are leaving in 
record numbers.
  All of those predictions and observations were accurate. The storm 
missed New Orleans. It destroyed Mississippi. What we are now seeing is 
the aftermath of a levee failure. And with all due respect to those who 
have seen flood waters come and go for many decades, no one could 
predict the breach of those levees. No one expected it to occur. And 
the devastation that occurred was amplified by people who had stayed in 
their homes, survived 140-mile-an-hour winds, endured the passage of a 
12-hour storm, saw the sun come out and the skies clear and think, we 
have made it. Within 20 minutes of a phone call to a New Orleans 
resident who was in one of those houses that survived, he had 3 feet of 
water in his home. He could not even grab resources

[[Page H7685]]

to get out quick enough. The water rose to 10 feet. Those in single-
story structures were in great peril.
  The magnitude of this tragedy cannot be explained in mere words. It 
is 90,000 square miles of devastation, and will more than double the 
cost of 9/11 to American citizens. The remedy is to get resources to 
people, get the lights on and let us go back to work.
  There is corn and grain from the Midwest. Harvest season starts in 3 
weeks. Sixty percent of that product goes through the Port of Orleans 
to the rest of the world. That has real economic implications for this 
Nation. Our petroleum industry needs to get back to work. Our port 
needs to get opened so dock workers can have jobs.
  We can build ourselves back. We want to go to work. We need tolerance 
and patience and hope. We do not need recriminations and accusations 
today. The terrible scope of this tragedy is going to extend for 3 more 
months. There will be lots of time next year to decide who was at fault 
and what did not happen when it occurred.
  I will tell you this: I am so appreciative to the President and the 
National Guard. My word, the personal effort these guys and ladies have 
put into their effort is just beyond comprehension. Many Louisianans, 
law enforcement, got in boats day and night to pull people out.
  Everybody who has been touched by this wants the same thing: We want 
personal suffering to go away. We want lives to be restored and to go 
forward. Nobody got up and said, I am going to flip the switch off on 
the phones. No one said, I am not going if people need me.
  The National Guard had to chain-saw their way from north Mississippi 
after the storm occurred to the coastal areas to get help in, and then 
we had the incredible event of people firing on their rescuers. This is 
unheard of. We then mobilized 7,500 National Guard. In any case, 
anywhere, any time, it takes 2 days to do that. It took 2 days to do it 
this time. Help is now on the ground. We have got a long way to go, but 
circumstances are better now than ever before.
  Let me close and say, thank you, just a deep heartfelt thanks to 
America and thanks to this Congress. You guys are great, and we cannot 
make it without you.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to 
comment that I appreciate what the gentleman has just said about how 
much of this was unpredictable. There is no question that that is the 
case.
  But, for the record, it must be said that the levee was built to 
withstand a Category 3 storm. So the Corps of Engineers has been 
saying, yelling for decades that no one can say we will not ever 
surpass a Category 3 storm. People will tell you in Louisiana that they 
have been talking about dodging the bullet for decades because they did 
not go above Category 3.
  I hope that when we repair the damage, and it will take billions more 
than we can imagine now, that we will do what we say we are going to do 
for the possibility of terrorism, that is to say, prepare for the 
worst-case scenario, not the case scenario that we wish for. And the 
worst-case scenario is finally what Louisiana got.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the District 
of Columbia (Ms. Norton) for yielding me this time and this 
opportunity.
  It is appropriate that we recognize, as this resolution does, the 
courage of those who have risked their lives to save lives in the gulf 
coast tragedy. It is appropriate, as this resolution does, that we 
offer condolences for those who have suffered such great loss. It is 
appropriate that we do these things. I would suggest that there is 
another way that this House can extend itself in an appropriate fashion 
to offer further condolences and consolation.
  We can console the people of the gulf coast with a plan for complete 
recovery, a new national recovery act, if you will, in that we can 
console the people of the gulf coast region with food, with shelter, 
with clothing and with health care. We need the Center for Disease 
Control to be tasked immediately with the responsibility of making sure 
that conditions that could create cholera or typhoid are met with the 
full resources of our government, and that we control any conditions 
that could create an outbreak of disease that would be even more 
devastating than the conditions we find right now.
  We can console the people of the gulf coast with complete efforts to 
reconnect families. We have heard over and over again how families have 
been broken up. We have heard over and over again how people are 
desperately searching for loved ones. Only our Federal Government can 
be involved effectively in helping to bring about the reuniting of 
families.
  We can use our resources and effectively console people with complete 
rebuilding of the infrastructure. We know and we have heard many 
stories of how there were many plans to repair the infrastructure or to 
shore it up so that people would be spared the devastation that 
occurred. We need to move forward from this point and commit ourselves 
to seeing the infrastructure and flood control programs brought 
forward, and also to make sure that all of the structures that have 
been destroyed that are public structures are rebuilt.
  We can console the people of the States who have been affected by 
this tragedy by helping to lift people out of poverty, to make sure 
that the jobs that are created are jobs that are created for people who 
live in the area, to make sure that people are paid a living wage. The 
whole Nation saw the images of poverty reflected in the rising flood 
waters, but what we need to also show reflected is action from this 
Congress that would provide appropriate consolation for those who are 
mired in poverty.
  We need to provide the resources that will rebuild the cities, that 
will provide jobs, and then we also can expect the cities to have 
responsibility then. One of the cruelest assertions that is occurring 
right now is certain Federal officials maintaining that local 
communities had the first responsibility in this regard. That is just 
not true. The Federal Government surely could have foreseen and taken 
action.
  Well, now we can foresee the action that must be taken to rebuild 
communities. We can console the people with the health care system that 
would be expanded through Medicare so that people can not only receive 
the long-term care they are going to need but also the immediate short-
term care that is vital to their survival.

                              {time}  1130

  We can console the people by providing appropriate environmental 
protections. Now we see the stories of pollution that was in New 
Orleans being pumped back into sources that are not polluted. We need 
to look at available technologies that can enable us to provide 
increased environmental protection in the immediate circumstances, 
while we are also trying to prepare for long-term environmental 
protection.
  We can console the people by making sure their children will be 
educated during this time and setting up temporary schools.
  We can console the people through letting them see their government 
finally at work and go from government inaction to seeing a government 
in action.
  We can console the people by being there for them at once and repair 
the breach, not only that has occurred in a levee, but the breach of 
faith that people have had in their government.
  This is the time for people to see their government in action, and I 
think that this Congress will provide effective consolation to the 
people when we take that position.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, this is not a time to cast blame and to 
second-guess actions.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased now to yield 5 minutes to my friend and 
colleague, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jindal), who lost his 
home, his district has been devastated, and he will inform us on what 
the facts are.
  Mr JINDAL. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Lafayette 
not only for recognizing me but also for his volunteer efforts and his 
community's hospitality to so many thousands of dislocated residents of 
my own district.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to share with this body that, first of all, the 
pictures do not do the suffering justice. I have been spending the last 
several days in the water, in helicopters, in boats, on land, just 
trying to help bring comfort

[[Page H7686]]

and trying to bring relief to the people of southeast Louisiana. The 
pictures do not do the suffering justice.
  Yet there are some lessons that we have learned. Many of you have 
heard me share very specific frustrations about what has worked and 
what has not worked. Certainly we can learn from the red tape and the 
bureaucracy where aid could have been delivered more quickly, where 
relief could have been provided in a more efficient way.
  But I am not here just to point out what did not work, and there are 
many examples where red tape and bureaucracy got in the way. I am also 
here to say a big thank you. I am here to offer on behalf of my 
district our sincere gratitude to the people of Baton Rouge and 
Lafayette; to the people of Texas and Arkansas; to the people across 
the country who literally took in thousands of evacuees, people who 
were forced, like myself, to leave our homes.
  The State of Texas took in over 220,000 people. They did not ask how 
are we going to do this. They literally opened their homes, opened 
their wallets, opened their hearts to create temporary housing, to 
create health care, to create opportunities for people to find comfort.
  I want to say thank you to the medical volunteers that rushed into 
harm's way. I want to say thank you to the first responders, the 
sheriffs' deputies, the law enforcement officials, the Coast Guard 
officials, Wildlife and Fisheries officials, those that have been 
working 7, 8, 9, 10 days without relief, without rest. Many of these 
heroes have no idea what happened to their own property. Many of these 
heroes have been separated from their own families. Yet they worked 
tirelessly to provide relief to others.
  I want to say thank you to our National Guardsmen. If ever before we 
needed yet another reminder of the true heroism of our military, we saw 
tens of thousands of men and women on the ground in the most dangerous 
circumstances, thinking not of themselves, but of others.
  I want to say thank you to the entire communities that pulled 
together, with the sheriffs, the mayors in my districts, who had so 
little, and yet reached out to their colleagues to share what they had, 
literally patching together impromptu communications systems, food 
supply systems, and other systems. Those that had the least shared the 
most.
  I want to say thank you to all these people. We have been reminded 
again what a great and powerful country America really is.
  I want to say thank you to the private sector. We called on Ford 
Motor Company to provide overnight search and rescue vehicles to first 
responders, and they did that. I want to say thank you to the bottling 
companies that sent the water, the food, the supplies, Anheuser Busch 
and the many other companies. I want to say thank you to Lamar for 
providing the tarps to cover people's homes.
  I want to say thank you to all the companies like Verizon, Wal-Mart 
and others, the pharmaceutical companies and small businesses that 
opened their stores, opened their warehouses, provided during this time 
of need without any concern for compensation, without any concern for 
anything other than helping their fellow man.
  I want to thank all those employers that have done so much work to 
find their missing employees, to set up shelters to truly meet our 
needs during this devastating tragedy.
  I also want to comment on the amazing spontaneous effort by our 
faith-based community. Churches all over our State, all over our Nation 
literally opened their doors, made room in their pews, made room in 
their sanctuaries for families. One church, Healing Place in Baton 
Rouge, literally put up hand-lettered signs the day of and the day 
after the hurricane saying: ``If you need water, if you need food, if 
you need shelter, come here.''
  We have private individuals across the State and now even outside the 
State that organized a network for people with extra bedrooms, extra 
places in their own homes to take in complete strangers.
  Again, in this tragedy we have seen on TV and in national images some 
of the very worst behavior. And yet these are the very few, those that 
choose to be obstructionists to get in the way of the relief efforts, a 
very few who resorted to violence. They were outnumbered greatly by the 
tremendous number of people who opened their doors, opened their 
hearts, opened their wallets.
  Let us not let the images of a small number of people who out of 
frustration or for whatever other reasons became violent, became 
obstructionists, let us not let them be the final story of Hurricane 
Katrina. Let us look to the churches, let us look to the first 
responders, let us look to the National Guard, let us look to the 
communities in Texas, in Arkansas, across the country, that have been 
so generous.
  Now I want to say a word to this body about what comes next. We are 
still rescuing people from the water and off the rooftops. We have an 
obligation to bring people to safety. We have an obligation to cut 
through the red tape and bring people housing, make sure that people 
know where their kids will go to school, how they get their health 
care. We also have an obligation to rebuild. We have an obligation to 
rebuild southeast Louisiana.
  But shame on us if we also at the same time we preserve and rebuild 
what was good in southeast Louisiana, we also rebuild what was bad. 
Shame on us if we do not use this as an opportunity to rebuild a better 
health care system, a better educational system, a better economy, 
better paying jobs for the people that are coming back. We want every 
single person to come back to a better city, to a better region.
  We had problems in New Orleans and in southeast Louisiana before the 
hurricane. We had problems with education, we had problems with health 
care, we had problems with crime, we had problems in our economy. 
Things were getting better, but more can be done.
  I want to say thank you to those who have been so generous; but I 
want to urge this body as we are generous in our response, let us keep 
our eye also on saving lives, but also on rebuilding a better city, a 
better region.
  God bless Louisiana.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Orleans, Louisiana (Mr. Jefferson). I am sure perhaps no Member has 
suffered more greatly than the Member I am about to yield the floor to 
now.
  Mr. JEFFERSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, it is indeed with a heavy heart that I rise today in 
this Chamber to support this resolution. I want to thank my colleague, 
the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany), for his work.
  During my 15 years in the people's House, we have confronted many 
trying circumstances: runaway fires in the West, rolling blackouts 
across the Northeast, the extraordinary destruction of Hurricane 
Andrew, the horror of September 11. And the Asian tsunami. But my heart 
has never been as personally struck and touched as by the tragedy of a 
disaster as it is now.
  Just over a week ago when Hurricane Katrina roared ashore, it left 
wide paths of destruction, unprecedented in American history. The 
citizens of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and my home State of 
Louisiana have suffered unspeakable tragedies. Hundreds, possibly 
thousands, of lives have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of homes have 
been destroyed and shuttered. Thousands of businesses have been closed, 
at the risk of perhaps never opening again.
  The images in the news media shocked the American people, but they 
are only a pale reflection of the devastation experienced by our 
friends, families, and neighbors throughout the gulf coast region.
  My hometown of New Orleans, my constituents, friends and family, 
thought they had once again dodged a bullet when Hurricane Katrina 
changed course at the last minute, making landfall in another place 
bordering the city.
  But we woke Tuesday morning to a heart-wrenching discovery. The levee 
system that had protected New Orleans for hundreds of years had failed. 
Our city was inundated, 80 percent of it, with deadly water. Thousands 
of lives were lost, many drowned, trapped in their homes. Others were 
lost trying to escape the fury. Others were lost unnecessarily through 
neglect, and still others have now survived and are spread far and wide 
throughout the country, have lost their sense of place and their 
connection to home.

[[Page H7687]]

  Our neighbors and families are living in shelters, staying with 
friends or family, benefiting from the hospitality and kindness of 
caring Americans. Tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed, 
churches and businesses at the heart of many of our beloved city's 
neighborhoods have been flooded and lay in ruins.
  In sum, Hurricane Katrina was more than a destructive hurricane. It 
has dealt a death blow to the very fabric and culture of a grand 
American city and region. Hurricane Katrina has left most of New 
Orleans, known for its vibrant spirit and vitality, threadbare and 
melancholy.
  The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jindal) talked about the people of 
our city, and I want to say something about that too.
  The spirit of the folks in my city, although beaten down, is still 
vibrant. If you saw the people who were standing and waiting for help, 
they were orderly. They were a model of orderliness in most cases. When 
I went down Friday to see folks at the convention center, they simply 
said to me, Jeff, help us get out of here. When are the buses coming?
  The few scenes you have seen of some people taking advantage of 
people who were there in dire circumstances are few and far between. 
The image that we want to remember is one of people who endured 
unnecessary suffering and who stood strongly and in an orderly fashion 
and dealt with it. I am so proud of our people for having done that.
  I also am proud of the outpouring of support that has come from 
around the country. I want to thank my colleagues for their words of 
encouragement, for their support, and for their prayers: from the mayor 
of Detroit, who told us we could bring in 500 families, to just one man 
from San Diego who offered his small plane to the folks in New Orleans, 
to pick them up and take them to safety, and one couple from Illinois 
who called us saying they had just sent their three kids off to college 
and they had three spare bedrooms for anyone who needed them.
  The generosity has been overwhelming. It has reminded us that the 
human spirit is vibrant and that goodwill is abundant in the American 
people's hearts.
  I want to thank all those who contacted my family, my office, to 
express concern, those who are now telling us they want to help to 
reach our constituents, to get our constituent services back together. 
And I want to thank all of you who have worked with us over the Labor 
Day weekend. I want to thank my CBC colleagues who have initiated 
unprecedented efforts to marshal resources to help dislocated 
Louisianans.
  I want to tell you that the most important thing we can do right now 
is to make sure that people who are displaced are dealt with with 
dignity, that they are taken care of properly and their needs are met, 
and that we try as soon as we can and as well as we can to get our 
people back home, back to the State of Louisiana, back connected to 
their way of life, back connected to their culture, back connected to 
their people, and that we commit ourselves for the long haul to rebuild 
our city, to rebuild our region, and to rebuild the lives of our 
people. This is our mission now in the Congress.
  Also, though we look at all the good things that have happened, it is 
not inappropriate to ask the question as to whether or not we could not 
have done a better job. The President himself has said that the 
response is unacceptable.
  So I am one who believes that as we do these other things and as we 
congratulate each other for the work we have done, and as I 
congratulate the Red Cross and the FEMA workers that have given a great 
deal, and our responders, our mayor and our State government, our 
police and fire people, that we recognize there is a need to do better 
for our people, and in the future we would make sure that things that 
did not go right never ever happen again.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank everyone for what they have done. We appreciate 
it very much.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
Louisiana not only for bringing forward this resolution but also for 
the great work that he did in the State of Louisiana in regard to 
organizing medical clinics and emergency health care, and I commend him 
for that.
  This is a great resolution. It emphasizes a positive. There is no 
finger-pointing, name-blame game. This is exactly the kind of 
resolution that shows the spirit of this Congress.
  I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Jefferson), I will just tell a little story about that, what really 
inspired me to go to Louisiana over the Labor Day weekend in Baton 
Rouge and try to help out in a medical clinic.
  I saw the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jefferson) on television 
talking about Jefferson Parish and the devastation and how much they 
had suffered. I was fortunate enough when I went to the emergency 
command center in Baton Rouge to run into my friend, the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Jefferson); and we had a brief hug, pat on the back, 
sincere handshake and the spirit of cooperation that he just expressed 
so eloquently.
  I want to echo what the gentleman said and what the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Jindal) and, of course, the gentleman from Louisiana 
(Mr. Boustany) and all of the legislative delegation Members of this 
Congress from the States that have been so adversely affected, 
especially Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, said.
  My own state of Georgia was not unscathed.

                              {time}  1145

  We had a number of tornadoes that came as a result of the hurricane 
that touched down in the 11th Congressional District, and one life was 
lost and a business destroyed in Carollton, Georgia.
  So, again, I commend and support, as we all do, this resolution, 
which is just saying it in the right way, totally nonpartisan.
  When I was on the ground in Louisiana, I had an opportunity to see a 
lot of the evacuees and the Red Cross and the many people coming 
together. I saw the best of human nature, not the worst. And I think 
this is truly a time for the best of the human nature of the Members of 
this Congress, on both sides of the aisle, both bodies, to come 
together because this is all about uplifting people and the ones that 
are suffering so much.
  And let us not forget that the suffering continues. It is not just 
the emergency response, but it is going to go on a long time, and 
fatigue might set in for some of the volunteers; so we need to keep a 
list and keep going and continue to support the gulf coast in that 
great part of the United States.
  Again, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany) for the 
resolution and thank him for yielding me time for the opportunity to 
join in and say a few words.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  I just have a few closing remarks. We all agree that the first 
obligation of any government is to protect its citizens. The majority 
often say that, and we have seen no contradiction from this side on 
that score. And I think there has been agreement that we have not fully 
honored that responsibility.
  It was with a great deal of thought that I became a cosponsor of the 
bill today, H.R. 3659, to reestablish FEMA as an independent agency 
outside the control of the bureaucracy of the Department of Homeland 
Security. I did not do that easily. Frankly, I strongly supported and 
still support the establishment of a Department of Homeland Security. 
So I had to think about this matter. Is this a contradiction from what 
I generally believe, that these agencies must be brought together?
  I have resolved that conflict in my mind because it is clear that 
FEMA is not about preventing anything. FEMA is about going in quickly 
and nimbly after there has been either an actual natural attack or a 
national attack; and there is telling evidence about how we have 
diverted funds from FEMA's natural disaster responsibilities to our 
legitimate concern with preparation for terrorism.
  I believe, therefore, that we do no harm to the notion of one 
cohesive unit, the Homeland Security Department, to prevent attacks if 
we have FEMA outside. I think that FEMA simply has not done well inside 
the Department of Homeland Security. I cannot guarantee that taking it 
out will

[[Page H7688]]

make it whole again. I do know this: that we did not have complaints 
about FEMA during the 1990s, and I remember FEMA's being held to great 
glory for how they handled and how they were reorganized during the 
1990s.
  I, therefore, want to thank the gentleman from Louisiana for coming 
forward and to say that I know I speak for every Member on my side when 
I say he will have our full cooperation, more than our empathy, our 
full cooperation when it comes to Louisiana and the entire gulf coast. 
I thank him for his initiative. I am pleased to be a part of it.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I thank the gentlewoman for her kind remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, today the House of Representatives, through this 
resolution, expresses its condolences to the victims of Hurricane 
Katrina. It commends the resiliency and the courage of all those 
involved in this, both the victims and the volunteers, who gave so 
willingly to help these victims. It also makes clear that we have a 
tremendous task ahead of us in Congress; and yet I know, as many others 
here know, that we are up to the task.
  What we are going to do is we will commit the necessary resources to 
stand by the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama who have 
been affected by this disaster. We have a tremendous task ahead in 
sustaining life as we continue to search for and rescue those still 
missing. We have a tremendous effort ahead in the recovery of the 
entire gulf coast, and I know this Congress is up to that task.
  So I stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in 
expressing these condolences and urge support for this resolution. It 
is time to move forward. It is time for action so that we can get on 
with recovery.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, thousands of students have been displaced 
as a result of Hurricane Katrina, including university students who 
rely on federal financial aid for their education expenses.
  Several institutions have had to close for the entire semester, 
leaving students without schools to attend.
  Fortunately, other colleges have stepped up and are accepting many of 
these students. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is one example 
of this generosity. They have already enrolled over 835 displaced 
students, and the numbers are expected to increase.
  But not all students will be able to attend other institutions.
  Many have suffered large losses of property, jobs, and, most 
devastatingly, family and friends.
  In the past, low-income students who were the recipient of need-base 
Pell grants and suffered extreme losses due to natural disasters have 
been forced to repay their Pell grants, further straining their 
financial resources.
  H.R. 3169 will provide financial relief to many students displaced by 
Katrina by waiving the Pell Grant repayment for those students 
withdrawing from school as a result of the hurricane, and it will also 
ensure that future natural disaster victims are treated in the same 
manner.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan measure, which will 
assist thousands of needy students who have been dealt an enormous blow 
by Hurricane Katrina.
  Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I have spent much of the past 
week examining the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most 
tragic natural disasters in our Nation's history. My heart goes out to 
each and every person who has suffered in the wake of this situation. I 
grieve for the loss of life, and I sympathize with those who have lost 
their livelihood as a result of this terrible tragedy.
  First and foremost, it is important to give credit to countless brave 
men and women, both volunteer and professional, who have been working 
tirelessly on our recovery and rescue operations. Their heroic efforts 
have saved countless lives, and we need to ensure they have the support 
and tools they need to accomplish their jobs. In addition, it is 
important to recognize National Guard Units and other emergency 
management professionals who have been attempting to restore order 
under exceptionally trying circumstances.
  Hurricane Katrina has proven to be one of the most damaging storms 
ever experienced by the people of the Gulf Coast. It will take a long 
time for this area of the country to regain some semblance of 
normalcy--a process that will depend on the collective acts of 
kindness, generosity, and selflessness of all Americans as much as it 
does the acts of government. I salute those who have already 
volunteered their services, donated money or goods, or opened their 
homes to their displaced countrymen.
  In the weeks and months to come, much of our attention in Washington 
will be focused on the response to Katrina. There will be much to say 
and plenty of time to say it. But for now I want to pause to remember 
the victims of this storm and to grieve for their passing. For the 
survivors, I offer my condolences and, through the work we will pursue 
together, as one Nation, the prospect of hope.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, our deepest condolences go to the victims 
of Hurricane Katrina, who lost their lives, their homes and their 
livelihoods. Our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families. 
While the devastation caused by this tragedy is vast, our faith and 
determination ensure that we will rebuild and we will endure.
  Congress and President Bush have taken the first step in 
appropriating emergency funds to aid relief efforts in the aftermath of 
Hurricane Katrina and much more is on the way. It is vital that this 
emergency funding moves quickly toward rescue and relief efforts in the 
Gulf Coast region and throughout the Nation. Together, Federal, State 
and local authorities must continue to work diligently to protect and 
assist those in need.
  In Texas, we are opening our hearts, homes, and facilities to over 
75,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Federal Government has a 
responsibility to help communities in Texas who are generously helping 
others during this time of national tragedy.
  During this difficult time, most Americans have shown an 
inspirational outpouring of support for the victims of Hurricane 
Katrina. However, it appears that some have acted out of greed and 
taken advantage of our national tragedy by price gouging Americans when 
it comes to basic necessities like gas, food, and shelter. That is 
totally unacceptable and the Federal Government must act quickly to 
fulfill its responsibility to protect the public and hold price gougers 
accountable.
  History will judge all of us by our response to this national tragedy 
and it is vital that we come together, rise above the partisanship, and 
do what's right for the American people in this time of crisis.
  I am confident that we will and the American spirit of generosity 
will prevail in the days, weeks, and months ahead, as our American 
family from coast to coast continues to provide much needed assistance 
to those who have lost so much.
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, as the waters recede in New Orleans and as 
the families impacted by Hurricane Katrina attempt to recover, we must 
now embark upon the monumental task of helping to rebuild both the 
infrastructure and vitality of the Gulf Coast communities. We also have 
begun to reflect on the tragedy, one which many say is one of the worst 
disasters to strike an American city in our history. The people of Guam 
would like to express their condolences to the families that have lost 
loved ones, and to the thousands of people who are now struggling to 
recover from what can only be described as a humanitarian catastrophe.
  Families and individuals have been uprooted, homes have been 
destroyed, and the process of rebuilding will be long and arduous. The 
communities involved depend upon support from Congress, and we must 
fully fund every stage of the recovery that is necessary to rebuild 
homes and lives.
  We must also ensure that our cities and coastlines are protected as 
best as possible from perilous storms. The people of Guam know far too 
well the toll that hurricanes can have upon a population. Located in 
what is known as ``Typhoon Alley'' in the Pacific Ocean, our island is 
annually threatened and sometimes pummeled by typhoons that can have 
winds upwards of 180 miles per hour. These Super Typhoons have the 
potential for widespread devastation, but Guam is well prepared to 
withstand these potentially destructive storms. From tough building 
codes to a stratified warning system, Guam is in a state of constant 
readiness. In fact, at the time Hurricane Katrina was intensifying in 
the Gulf of Mexico, Guam was in a state of readiness as Typhoon Nabi 
was forecast to make a direct hit. In our case, the storm turned away, 
but nonetheless Guam was bracing for the worst.
  There is more our island needs to do to be better prepared for 
Typhoons, such as burying our power lines and improving our water 
system. We continue to perfect our disaster preparedness plan and 
harden our infrastructure. Our community, as well as all communities 
across the Nation, are now more dependent than ever on the support of 
the Federal Government to help us prepare for and recover from 
devastating storms. It is imperative that at-risk areas be better 
equipped and prepared, from the Federal level to the local level, to 
deal with hurricanes and other natural disasters.
  I support House Resolution 425 and urge its passage. Together, let us 
as a Congress, express the Nation's sorrow for the victims of this 
tragedy.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, sadly, approaching the four year 
anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, our

[[Page H7689]]

country faces great tragedy again and a tremendous national challenge 
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
  I would like to assure the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and 
Alabama that New Yorkers who lived through 9/11 understand the shock 
and dismay being felt deeply after Hurricane Katrina.
  We are well aware that time and great effort will be needed to 
rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, but we know also that the recovery 
will advance strongly because of the great will of the people of 
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. I also hope that the recovery will 
be spurred by the strong support most assuredly coming from countless 
New Yorkers and Americans from all corners of the country.
  I stand ready to work with Members of Congress from Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Alabama to advance all Federal programs necessary for 
recovery operations after Katrina. My thoughts and prayers are with 
those affected by Hurricane Katrina and with the people now facing 
great recovery challenges in its wake.
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I would like to convey my 
deepest condolences to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, many of whom 
lost loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods. Many constituents 
have contacted my office, concerned about relatives, friends, and 
fellow Americans in that area. A member of my own staff has been 
touched by this tragedy and has dozens of family members displaced and 
in distress. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those 
other families who have been affected by this disaster.
  While we are devastated by this tragedy, our faith, perseverance and 
American spirit of generosity will ensure that we help the region and 
its residents recover and rebuild.
  The Pacific Northwest, where my Congressional District is located, is 
about as far north and west of this tragedy as you can get in the 
continental U.S. Yet even there, Governor Gregoire is coordinating with 
state and Federal officials nationwide to get state employees and 
volunteers on the ground in the affected areas. Our state has readied 
600 Washington National Guard soldiers and airmen. We have offered up 
our State's refueling aircraft, support personnel, helicopters, and 
satellite communications systems, among other assets. Washington 
State's residents are giving generously to aid relief efforts and 
victims. It is likely that we will soon provide a temporary home to 
thousands of displaced hurricane victims.
  I would also like to extend my deepest gratitude to organizations 
such as the Red Cross for their significant disaster relief efforts. 
The Red Cross has said that this is their largest relief effort ever--
larger than after September 11, 2001, and larger than all four Florida 
hurricanes last year. We continue hearing heartwarming stories of 
American Red Cross volunteers from across the Nation, including in my 
Congressional District, who have already headed down to help with 
relief efforts.
  As we respond to this tragedy, I will continue working with my 
colleagues to provide needed Federal assistance to the people harmed by 
this disaster. I know that in months ahead there will be much work to 
do. As Americans, we have pulled together through tragedies in the 
past. I am confident that we will demonstrate that same unity and 
perseverance in overcoming the devastating effects of Hurricane 
Katrina.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, 10 days ago Hurricane Katrina slammed into 
America's Gulf Coast. The devastation we have seen is unprecedented. 
While the Federal Government's response to this devastation has itself 
been a management catastrophe, I have been heartened by the 
overwhelming response of our fellow Americans to the victims of 
Katrina. People have opened their homes and their hearts to their 
victims. They have donated food, clothing, and money. The goodness of 
our citizens to one another, especially in their time of need, should 
make all Americans proud.
  With a heavy heart, but with confidence in a better future, I join 
all my colleagues today in expressing my personal deep sense of sorrow 
and offering the condolences of a nation to all the victims of 
Hurricane Katrina. All who have watched these tragic events unfold 
before us on TV are inspired by, and in awe of, the resilience of the 
New Orleanians, their courage under adversity, their extraordinary 
self-sacrifice in mutual assistance, their love of their city, and 
their determination to rebuild their lives. I pledge my enduring 
efforts--and I know that my colleagues on the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure join in this pledge--to provide New 
Orleans and the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, the 
resources necessary for the reconstruction efforts.
  Today we must remain focused on the recovery from the devastation 
wrought by Katrina. However, in the coming weeks and months, this 
Congress must investigate the Government's disastrous response to this 
disaster. To begin that process, Congresswoman Norton and I have 
introduced a bill, H.R. 3659, to reestablish FEMA as an independent 
agency outside of the control of the bureaucracy of the Department of 
Homeland Security.
  The Government's first priority must be to protect its citizens. It 
has failed to honor that responsibility, and we must insure that such 
failure never happens again.
  Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). Pursuant to the order of the 
House of today, the resolution is considered as read and the previous 
question is ordered.
  The question is on the resolution.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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