[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 95 (Wednesday, July 19, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H5482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        AMERICANS STRANDED AGAIN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I spoke of this earlier in 
the discussion of the resolution regarding the statement on Israel, but 
I think as a member of the Homeland Security Committee and having 
experienced just almost a year ago the watching of Americans in the 
gulf region, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi remain stranded for 
days upon days, as confusion continued in how to evacuate Americans who 
looked to the Federal Government as their umbrella on a rainy day, the 
images of Americans sitting on rooftops, floating in water, and the 
terrible stories that were told as many of them were evacuated to 
Houston is still very, very strong and very, very potent in our minds.
  It bothers me that we stand here again watching the newsreels report 
over and over again of the 25,000 stranded Americans in Lebanon. The 
seemingly slow process of reaching those particular citizens, families, 
children, who are looking for relief from the Federal Government.
  I think it is imperative that there be some briefing of the United 
States Congress immediately to detail how we can swiftly move up the 
throngs of Americans who are begging to be able to come home. It simply 
seems untenable that we do not have the resources necessary to evacuate 
our citizens more quickly than it has been done.
  Many of them are in need of medical care, many of them with young 
families, and the stories are just heart-breaking. Children who are 
left on the pier. The 11-year-old girl who watched a ship go off and 
ultimately had to be redirected to a ship in the morning.
  There is a conflict, there is a violent conflict going on. American 
lives are in jeopardy, and this administration needs to provide to the 
United States Congress their detailed plan of how they will evacuate 
Americans. We have their loved ones in our districts. They are pained 
to understand why the most powerful Nation in the world cannot even get 
its citizens out of Lebanon. There is no excuse.
  We know the military, although it is stretched in Iraq and elsewhere, 
is well able to take orders and to move quickly, and if it is not the 
military, then we know that you can capture civilian commercial 
aircrafts and direct them to be able to secure those who need to get 
out because of medical emergencies and other needs that would warrant 
them getting out more swiftly than others.
  Mr. President, the United States Senate and this Congress, this 
House, can do a far better job responding to this crisis while 
protecting the American people. It is a shame, simple shame that loved 
ones here in the United States are still facing this crisis without 
knowing whether their loved ones can be returned home safely and 
secure.
  Hurricane Katrina was a dastardly, devastating experience for this 
country. In fact, there is no excuse. We cannot defend the incompetence 
of the departments that were responsible for evacuating those citizens 
from the gulf coast, a natural disaster. Now we have been at war in 
conflict and crisis for six, seven, eight days, and there are Americans 
still stranded in Lebanon. I hope that will be a wake-up call and that 
we will get a response immediately.
  My door is open. My number is available, (202) 225-3816. We want to 
be of help to those families who are stranded, and we also want to be 
of help for a resolution of the conflict, of which all of us are 
looking for an immediate engagement and the opportunity for the U.N. 
and other bodies to be able to bring a solution to this terrible 
tragedy.

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