[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 110 (Wednesday, September 7, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H7711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HURRICANE KATRINA DISASTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening with a heavy 
heart. What we have witnessed during the past few days in New Orleans 
and the gulf coast of Mississippi and Alabama is unreal. It is 
unbelievable.
  This did not have to be. We were told by the National Weather Service 
and by the media that a dangerous storm, a very dangerous storm, was on 
the way; but something went wrong. Somebody someplace at the highest 
level of this government fell asleep at the switch.
  Our government had time to act, but we failed to move. The strength 
and the might of the most powerful Nation on Earth, the only remaining 
superpower, could not defend, could not protect, could not save her 
people.
  Even a mother hen in time of great trouble, in the midst of a mighty 
wind, would gather her little chick under her wing. Can we do any less?
  I do not understand how we can put a man on the Moon, how we can go 
to the bottom of the ocean, or conduct a war thousands of miles away, 
yet we cannot save our own citizens here at home.
  What happened in New Orleans is an embarrassment and a national 
disgrace, and it must never ever happen again. Some people are trying 
to blame local and State officials for this disaster, but as Harry 
Truman suggested, the buck stops at the top.
  What this disaster has showed us is that this Nation is still divided 
by both race and class. This administration never had an urban policy. 
It never tried to find a way to help the poor in America.
  There were people with very little means who were left out and left 
behind in New Orleans. They did not have an automobile or an SUV. They 
could not buy an airplane ticket to go to Dallas or Houston, Chicago, 
or Atlanta. They were left out and left behind, not just in apartments 
but waiting in water up to their waists, to their chests, over their 
heads. They have been trapped for decades in lives of poverty and 
neglect.
  Do not tell me that our government cannot be responsible. Do not tell 
me that it is hard to respond. When we get ready to go to war, we do 
not ask two former Presidents to go pass around a tin cup to raise 
money. We authorize, we appropriate, and that is what we should do now.
  Do not tell me that this Nation cannot respond in a crisis when the 
safety of the American people is at stake.
  In 1957, when there was a crisis in Little Rock, Arkansas, at Central 
High, President Eisenhower sent in the Federal troops.
  In 1961, when there was a crisis during the Freedom Rides, Americans 
were beaten and brutalized, President Kennedy placed the city of 
Montgomery under martial law and sent in the National Guard to protect 
the lives of local citizens.
  In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson did not hesitate. He used his 
capacity, he used his power as Commander in Chief to call out the 
Federal troops to protect Americans as they marched from Selma to 
Montgomery.
  Yes, Mr. Speaker, we are the most powerful Nation on Earth; and we 
are able, we are able, we have the ability, we have the capacity to 
respond in a crisis. We have the means. Now we just have to find the 
will.
  A great nation is defined by the methods it uses to defend the 
dignity of humanity. This hurricane has put us to the test, and it is 
my hope and my prayer that some good can come out of this very bad 
situation.
  People have lost their lives. Families are broken. Mothers are here. 
Fathers are there. Children and grandchildren are someplace else. We 
may never really know how many people died because of this disaster. 
There are people suffering from dehydration. People cannot get their 
medicine. They are stranded for days and cannot get food to eat or 
water to drink. A great Nation, a proud people should be able to do 
better.
  The American people have taken the lead. They have poured out their 
compassion and come to the aid of their fellow citizens. They have 
expressed a sense of righteous indignation. They have called us on the 
telephone. They have e-mailed us. They are demanding action. They want 
to know why this has happened; and Mr. Speaker, it is the role of their 
government to respond.
  We must deliver Federal support to help rebuild New Orleans, to help 
rebuild the gulf coast of America. We must deliver Federal support to 
help rebuild the lives of thousands of American people and help them 
find their way back home; and if we do anything less, if we fail to 
act, then I am afraid the spirit of history will not be kind to us.

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