[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 111 (Thursday, September 8, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT TO MEET IMMEDIATE NEEDS 
        ARISING FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF HURRICANE KATRINA, 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. ROBERT E. ANDREWS

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 2, 2005

  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Speaker, today I stand in full support of H.R. 3645 
to provide financial relief to the millions of those affected by 
Hurricane Katrina. My prayers go out to the victims and their families. 
Despite a massive search and rescue effort to locate victims of 
Hurricane Katrina, many still remain in harm's way while scores of 
others attempt to piece together what is left of their lives. As such, 
we are faced with the difficult task of providing the attention and 
resources in order to rescue those still in danger; providing comfort 
to those without food, clean water, or shelter; and preventing further 
devastation from disease. This funding will provide the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency with just enough money to get started on 
immediate disaster assistance.
  However, this is just the beginning of our financial commitment to 
the people of these ravaged areas. The $10 billion will give our 
emergency responders the means to save and help rebuild lives in the 
short-term, but the long-term funding situation is uncertain and 
daunting. It is too early to estimate the final cost of rescue 
operations or the huge task of caring for the victims of this enormous 
tragedy. It is my understanding that total costs could exceed $100 
billion. I will continue to support whatever funding is needed for as 
long as it takes to rescue all in danger and to help our fellow 
Americans rebuild their lives.
  As is always the case with a disaster of this magnitude, we must 
closely examine what could have been done differently and try to make 
right what once was wrong. In this instance, many factors combined to 
cause such widespread destruction and loss of life. The key questions 
are: what could have been done to properly plan for such a disaster and 
what should have been done to respond more quickly once the destination 
of Katrina was confirmed.
  Proper planning on the part of the local and State governments was 
severely lacking. The decision to evacuate New Orleans without making 
provisions to transport people too poor to own or too sick to operate a 
vehicle was a moral abomination. We basically left people to see if 
they would die and many of them did. Every evacuation response plan in 
the Nation should, by federal law, be required to include 
transportation plans for such people. The excuse that this catastrophe 
was unpredictable is nonsense--scientists and engineers have been 
saying for years that a hurricane with Katrina's force could break the 
levees and flood the city of New Orleans. Despite these specific 
warnings, the local and State governments were woefully underprepared 
to deal with the magnitude of this disaster.
  The slow response of the Federal government is equally abysmal and 
even more troubling. The Administration showed its indifference to the 
people in the Gulf by waiting until Saturday, September 3rd to deploy 
7,200 active-duty ground troops. However as soon as the storm passed, 
it was clear that the local and State governments were overwhelmed by 
the magnitude of the disaster. President Bush should have deployed 
these troops to the region as soon as the levee broke on Tuesday, if 
not sooner. All of the available resources of the federal government 
should have been mobilized immediately to evacuate people and organize 
food, shelter, and medical operations. In the days after Katrina's 
winds and rain subsided, it is indisputable that the Federal government 
failed the people of the Gulf Region.
  Rather than acknowledge these shortcomings, the administration has 
brazenly lauded the Federal response. President Bush and others glossed 
over the fact that many people died as a result of the government's 
incompetence and indifference. The inadequate response to this disaster 
demonstrated to me that we have learned little from the lessons of 
September 11, 2001, and we are ill-prepared to deal with a major 
national disaster whether it be a natural or man-made.
  I am determined to play whatever role I can in changing our Federal 
response system so that this type of gross negligence does not happen 
again. Mr. Speaker, I reiterate my support for H.R. 3645 and I pledge 
my continued support for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

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