[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 18, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S6]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MASS EVACUATION EXERCISE ASSISTANCE ACT

 Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I have introduced the Mass 
Evacuation Exercise Assistance Act, S. 2043. As we witnessed in the 
wake of recent natural disasters, our cities face special challenges 
and vulnerabilities when disaster strikes.
  Part of disaster preparation at any level of government includes 
having well prepared and practiced evacuation plans. Otherwise, 
citizens can easily become trapped without food or water in a 
devastated area or along an escape route. To help cities prepare for 
future emergencies and evacuations, this bill will authorize a new 5-
year grant program that will endow local governments with the funds to 
develop comprehensive evacuation plans, stage drills and exercises to 
perfect evacuation procedures, and stockpile materials to supply 
evacuation staging areas and evacuation routes. This legislation will 
serve to supplement existing grant programs rather than compete for 
already scarce homeland security grant funding.
  I hope that my colleagues will join me in this effort that will 
simply provide cities and States with the proper planning, preparation, 
and resources to ensure that their citizens will be evacuated quickly 
and safely should a natural disaster or terrorist attack occur. Our 
citizens deserve no less.

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