[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 111 (Thursday, September 8, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H7794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RELIEF EFFORTS FOR VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HUNTER. Madam Speaker, I want to talk a little bit about the 
wonderful people of Rescue Task Force who are headquartered in San 
Diego, who have been operating in the disaster area in New Orleans, and 
use that discussion about them to reflect on all the great private 
efforts and public efforts to help the victims who have been created by 
this incredible disaster in New Orleans.
  Rescue Task Force is a small group. It is headed up by Wendell 
Cutting, who is my chief of staff in San Diego and a guy who a couple 
of years ago was given only 3 months to live with terminal cancer and 
who has continued to survive and I think survive as an inspiration 
based on his continued drive and enthusiasm for helping people.
  Wendell and Gary Becks have gone around the world in setting up 
medical clinics, providing food, providing medical services in 
Afghanistan and Iraq, in Albania, in Central America, and now are 
providing a helping hand in New Orleans.
  A couple of days ago, they allowed me to go along on one of their 
missions. We went to Houma, Louisiana. I had with me Scott Turner, who 
is retiring this year after 10 years in the NFL, a wonderful cornerback 
who played for the Redskins and the Chargers and the Broncos. And along 
with Scott was Larry Nelson, the mayor of Yuma, Arizona; and Roy Tyler, 
who is a businessman from San Diego who now has Tyler's restaurants in 
Yuma, Arizona.

                              {time}  1715

  We brought along some help, but we also stopped in Houston.
  When we landed in Houston, we had a lot of supplies there ready, and 
we trucked them into the affected area in Houma. We went to the civic 
center in Houma with the rescue task force personnel, and one of the 
things that they needed was beds because you have literally tens of 
thousands of people who are living in gymnasium settings; that is, 
where they go into a civic center or a gymnasium and they may have a 
blanket or two, but they do not have a bed, a mattress, between them 
and the ground.
  So we had a need there, and rescue task force personnel managed to 
run down, working with some of the big stores, 1,000 beds for the folks 
there, and we got those paid for. I got a call yesterday that they, in 
fact, had been delivered.
  Then we delivered lots of baby food and canned food to the various 
locations.
  But I was really impressed when I was at the civic center there, this 
refugee center, or evacuee center. I was impressed with the people of 
Louisiana, because they had so many volunteers, they actually were 
having to turn them away, and they had mountains of clothes that had 
been donated to the point where they said, do not bring any more 
clothes.
  They had a great medical system set up where people from the disaster 
were getting, in most cases, more checkups than they had had in years 
with the doctors and nurses available, and they were getting good, hot 
meals.
  We went in the next day by air boat, into the streets and the 
communities that were under water in New Orleans, and I want to report 
that our military personnel, the National Guard folks, the active duty 
folks, and also lots of other folks from other agencies like ATF and 
reserve sheriffs' organizations are doing a wonderful job now in 
providing that very necessary security.
  Now, I think it is a shame that we have to spend so much manpower on 
security and have active duty military forces come in that have to 
provide that security, but that is a fact of life, and they are doing a 
great job.
  Madam Speaker, along those lines, I think that the real tragedy of 
this hurricane, aside from those individuals who lost their lives, is 
not the water and it is not the hurricane itself or the damage, the 
property damage, because all of that can and will be rebuilt. The real 
tragedy to me was that group of people, part of that generation of 
folks who live in New Orleans, which included people who shot at the 
rescue helicopters, who looted, and who committed crimes against their 
fellow citizens during this time of tragedy, during and shortly after 
the hurricane.
  I think we need to put together a program or legislation to make sure 
that we do not reinstitute the projects, the location where people have 
lived for generations in a system that has not produced a high degree 
of moral compass and a high work ethic, and all of the other things you 
need to have for a solid community.
  So let us work to rebuild not just New Orleans, but let us build a 
new generation of young people in New Orleans who will be outstanding 
citizens.

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