[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 112 (Friday, September 9, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9875-S9876]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HURRICANE KATRINA

  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, I join my Senate colleagues in voicing my 
unwavering support to help Gulf Coast residents recover and rebuild 
their communities in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The $60.5 
billion in funding we have passed is a start toward restoring basic 
infrastructure and the economy, but we have a long way to go. This 
recovery will require much more of our time, resources and a 
comprehensive plan; I stand ready to work with my colleagues to do just 
that.
  In the last 2 weeks, I have witnessed many good and bad things 
involving Hurricane Katrina. The generosity and compassion shown by 
families all over the Nation have redefined the meaning of good 
neighbor. In Arkansas, I have

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watched as countless charities, individuals from the private and public 
sector and the faith-based community joined together to welcome their 
neighbors with unmatched Southern hospitality.
  I am very proud of the Arkansas National Guard. Many of these Guard 
members have spent months in Iraq away from their families this year, 
but they were eager to join the military operation to help rescue 
Hurricane victims, secure the streets of New Orleans, and maintain 
order in many of our shelters. I am also pleased that these Guard 
members have been mobilized under title 32 so that their time counts 
for purposes of retirement, health care and other benefits enjoyed by 
their
Active-Duty counterparts.
  After the initial devastation of Hurricane Katrina, I called my Gulf 
Coast colleagues to ask how I could help and support their constituents 
in their time of need. I am working to honor their requests by 
coordinating logistics for evacuees and helping evacuees in Arkansas 
resolve problems involving Social Security checks, postal services, and 
FEMA forms. My office is also working to find housing for evacuees, 
transport them, reunite families, and assist with translation. As 
60,000 or more of their constituents have traveled to Arkansas, I am 
working to serve their constituents as well as Arkansans. Evacuees 
should know that as they get their lives back together, they have a 
home in Arkansas.
  While the American people were stepping up to the plate, the 
Government struck out. Our emergency plans failed to meet expectations. 
I want to focus on helping distressed families now, but in the not too 
distant future, we need to take a hard look at the failures that 
occurred in responding to this disaster.
  Under Senate rules, Senators Collins and Lieberman are tasked with 
leading Government oversight as the ranking members of the Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. As a member of this 
committee, I can attest to their strong, bipartisan, and tested 
leadership. The intelligence restructuring bill drafted in this 
committee, passed by this body, and signed into law by President Bush 
last year is a fitting example. This same committee ought to pursue its 
oversight responsibilities on the Government's slow rescue and response 
efforts. I believe very adamantly that part of any investigation, and 
subsequent legislation, must begin with fixing the chain-of-command and 
bureaucratic breakdowns that occurred before and after the hurricane. 
If the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is not 
tapped for this undertaking, then I believe the families of the Gulf 
Coast, and the rest of the Nation, deserve a thorough review of the 
mistakes that occurred by an independent body in a setting where 
politics will not play a role.
  A primary reason for the creation of the Department of Homeland 
Security, following 9/11, was to allow for a smooth and immediate 
rescue and recovery operation when disaster strikes--whether naturally 
occurring or manmade. But instead of a smooth operation, States and 
Federal agencies again ran into redtape and confusion. A terrorist 
attack and a hurricane are, of course, two completely different 
disasters, but the response efforts are just as critical and necessary, 
and they translate into saving lives.
  We have put enormous resources into a national emergency preparedness 
and response system nearly 4 years after
9/11, and I am concerned and dismayed that our response to a 
significant disaster has not been improved exponentially. The 
Government's failure to respond effectively shows weaknesses in our 
emergency preparedness not just to Americans but also to terrorists who 
seek havoc in our country.
  We must find and fix the discrepancies in the system, look for 
accountability, and make sure these mistakes are never repeated in the 
United States again. We owe this to the victims of Hurricane Katrina 
and, quite frankly, we owe it to the victims of 9/11.
  I believe the problems that occurred before, during and after the 
hurricane have unveiled something else about America. They have opened 
up eyes in Washington, DC, and across the country about the abject 
poverty some families live in. Those left stranded on their rooftops or 
in the Superdome painted a very vivid picture about the inequities that 
exist in our country today, and they speak volumes about the 
transportation, housing and health care available in this country.
  If anything at all comes from this tragedy, I hope it will be a new 
focus on our priorities in this body. Before the hurricane hit, the 
Senate was expected to return from its August recess to vote on 
repealing the estate tax for wealthiest 2 percent of Americans, and 
cutting health care services for our poorest Americans. Hurricane 
Katrina showed that we, as a Nation, are failing to take care of our 
poor, our sick, and our elderly. Government must do better, and that 
leadership must start with the President, the Senate, and the House of 
Representatives.
  We can start with a number of proposals that have been put forth by 
both Republicans and Democrats to help the South recover from Hurricane 
Katrina. These initiatives range from financial assistance to host 
States for evacuee care; tax incentives for employers to hire evacuees; 
and health care, housing, and nutritional assistance for evacuees. I 
stand ready to help and lead in these efforts.
  Senator Landrieu delivered an impassioned speech on the floor 
yesterday, and I end with her words, ``We must learn from this 
experience. If we do not, we will fail again.''

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