[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 148 (Wednesday, November 9, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2305-E2306]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         A TRIBUTE TO THE CORPORATE HEROES OF HURRICANE KATRINA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 9, 2005

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to highlight some of the 
exceptional actions taken by our corporate citizens in the wake of 
Hurricane Katrina.
  It is common to hear criticism from this floor of our Nation's 
largest companies, and I think it is only fair to recognize the good 
these companies do in times of national emergency.
  The cover of a September Fortune magazine reads: ``Government Broke 
Down. Business Stepped Up. How Wal-Mart, FedEx, and Home Depot got the 
job done after Katrina.''
  We have a select committee working hard to address the first part of 
this headline. We should also recognize and learn lessons from the 
second part of the headline, how business stepped up.
  The Wall Street Journal on September 12, 2005, said, ``The Federal 
Emergency Management Agency could learn some things from Wal-Mart 
Stores, Inc.'' Indeed, FEMA could.
  I recall talking to a mayor in my district in September of last year 
when Hurricane Ivan had just devastated his city and much of the 
Alabama Gulf Coast. He said the community's demands on the government 
for basic services such as water, food, and ice were relentless and 
almost overwhelming. Then the city's Wal-Mart SuperCenter reopened; the 
cavalry had arrived. The mayor said it was as if a huge weight had been 
lifted.
  Mr. Speaker, this Wal-Mart store did not reopen without careful 
planning, without superb execution, and without the extraordinary 
effort of Wal-Mart employees in Alabama and throughout the Wal-Mart 
distribution system.
  The efforts of Wal-Mart and other corporate citizens have been 
extraordinary in response

[[Page E2306]]

to Hurricane Katrina. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has contributed $17 million 
to relief efforts and donated 19 vacant facilities for use by relief 
agencies.
  After the storm made landfall, the company immediately dispatched 
pre-positioned trucks to the devastated region bearing $3 million worth 
of emergency supplies. In addition, Wal-Mart employees personally 
donated over $9 million.
  To quote Fortune magazine, ``The world's biggest company flexed its 
massive distribution muscle to deliver vital supplies to victims of 
Hurricane Katrina.''
  It was this distribution muscle that provided relief to the hardest 
hit areas. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and its employees have earned our 
respect and our heartfelt thanks.
  Mr. Speaker, there are other companies, perhaps not as large, that 
contributed in quiet, unheralded ways to Hurricane Katrina relief.
  One additional company I would like to highlight is EADS, a European 
aerospace and defense firm that has recently chosen to open a facility 
in Mobile, Alabama, my home town.
  In the chaotic days immediately following landfall of Hurricane 
Katrina, two EADS helicopters flew dangerous missions to rescue 
stranded victims, transport medical personnel, and deliver critical 
supplies to the Gulf Coast, stopping only to load, unload, and refuel.
  EADS also coordinated with Airbus to deliver 23 tons of blankets, 
cots, tents and other items donated by the United Kingdom and France. 
The aid was flown onboard the Airbus A300-600ST cargo jetliner, also 
known as the Beluga, from Europe to Brookley Field in Mobile, Alabama.
  In addition to the rescue and aid missions, EADS built a mobile 
medical rescue station in Long Beach, Mississippi. EADS, the German 
government, and Airbus coordinated to move the 12-ton medical rescue 
station from Frankfurt to Atlanta. Once in Atlanta, the Airbus Beluga 
moved it to Mississippi. The rescue station is staffed by 38 doctors 
and treats approximately 150 patients a day, handling everything from 
routine immunizations to surgical procedures.
  In this time of such extreme adversity for the people of the Gulf 
Coast, the people of EADS truly came to our aid. I am humbled by their 
dedication and commitment to help in the recovery from Hurricane 
Katrina.
  Mr. Speaker, I am truly grateful to the national and international 
corporations that made generous contributions in the wake of Hurricane 
Katrina. I have singled out two for our well-deserved thanks, and I am 
glad to call them neighbors.

                          ____________________