[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 113 (Monday, September 12, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S9940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. OBAMA (for himself, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Levin, Mr. 
        Corzine, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Murray, 
        and Mr. Salazar):
  S. 1685. A bill to ensure the evacuation of individuals with special 
needs in times of emergency; to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, one of the most striking things about the 
devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is that the majority of 
stranded victims were our society's most vulnerable members--low-income 
families, the elderly, the homeless, the disabled. Many did not own 
cars. Many believed themselves unable to flee the city, unable to 
forego the income from missed work, unable to incur the expenses of 
travel, food and lodging. Some may have misunderstood the severity of 
the warnings, if they heard the warnings at all. Some may have needed 
help that was unavailable. Whatever the reason, they were not evacuated 
and we have seen the horrific results.
  This failure to evacuate so many of the most desperate citizens of 
the Gulf Coast leads me to introduce today a bill to require states and 
the nation to consider the needs of our neediest citizens in times of 
emergency.
  It appears that certain assumptions were made in planning and 
preparing for the worst case scenario in the Gulf Coast. After all, 
most of those who could afford to evacuate managed to do so. They drove 
out of town and checked into hotels or stayed with friends and family. 
But what about the thousands of people left behind because they had 
special needs?
  How many of us will forget the tragedy that occurred at St. Rita's 
Nursing Home in St. Bernard Parish, LA, where an estimated 32 of the 60 
residents perished in the rising floodwaters in the aftermath of 
Hurricane Katrina?
  Our charge as public servants is to worry about all of the people. I 
am troubled that our emergency response and disaster plans were 
inadequate for large segments of the Gulf Coast population. I wonder 
whether the plans in other regions are adequate. Perfect evacuation 
planning is obviously impractical, but greater advance preparation can 
ensure that the most vulnerable are not simply forgotten or ignored.
  That's why the bill I am introducing today, along with co-sponsors 
Senators Bayh, Murray, Harkin, Levin, Corzine, Feingold, Bingaman and 
Kennedy, requires the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security 
to mandate each State to include plans for the evacuation of 
individuals with special needs during times of emergency. Such plans 
should not only include an explanation of how these people--low income 
individuals and families, the elderly, the disabled, those who cannot 
speak English--will be evacuated out of the emergency area and how the 
states will provide shelter, food, and water, to these people once 
evacuated.
  Communities with special needs may be more challenging to 
accommodate, but they are every bit as important to protect and serve 
in the event of an emergency.
  What we saw in the Gulf Coast cannot be repeated. We may not be able 
to control the wrath of Mother Nature, but we can control how we 
prepare for natural disasters.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation.

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