[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 114 (Thursday, September 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1725-E1726]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




APPOINTMENT OF CONFEREES ON H.R. 2864, WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT 
                                OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 13, 2006

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support this motion, offered by 
the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Melancon), to instruct the House 
conferees to support the maximum level of hurricane and storm damage 
protection for the communities of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi.
  Two weeks ago, this nation honored the 1 year anniversary of 
Hurricane Katrina, and the devastating impact this storm had on the 
Gulf Coast communities. Over the past year, we have had the ability to 
reflect on the lives and livelihoods that were forever changed by 
Hurricane Katrina, as well as on efforts to restore some sense of 
normalcy to the families and communities impacted by the storm. Few 
national efforts have been more important than those to rebuild the 
City of New Orleans, and the surrounding communities of Louisiana, 
Mississippi, and Alabama.
  Not surprisingly, in the days immediately following Katrina's 
devastation, the Federal government spoke with one voice to support the 
rebuilding of Gulf Coast communities.
  President Bush assured the residents of New Orleans and the outlying 
parishes, including St. Bernard and Plaquemine parishes, that ``people 
are paying attention to them,'' and it was the Federal government's 
duty to ``help the good folks of this part of the world to get back on 
their feet.''
  A few days later, the President stood in Jackson Square, New Orleans, 
and made a commitment to rebuild Gulf Coast communities ``better and 
stronger than before the storm.''
  Recognizing the importance of flood protection of the Gulf Coast 
communities, the President assured its citizens that the ``Corps of 
Engineers will work at [the side of state and local officials] to make 
the flood protection system stronger than it has ever been before.''
  Unfortunately, in the time that has elapsed since the President 
proclaimed these words from the heart of New Orleans, the 
administration's commitment to the Gulf Coast communities has wavered, 
and his pledge to rebuild all of the affected communities ``better and 
stronger than before the storm'' has fallen by the wayside--promises 
that have fallen victim to politics, and a renewed interest in fiscal 
conservatism.
  While the administration may waiver in its commitment to help the 
families affected by Hurricane Katrina, I support this motion to 
instruct the conferees to renew Congressional commitment to adequately 
protect the entire Gulf Coast region.
  Mr. Speaker, I find it ironic that this administration, which has 
gone on the offensive criticizing any individual who would question 
U.S. policy in Iraq as ``cutting and running'' would feel comfortable 
walking away from the plight of its own citizenry in the wake of 
Hurricane Katrina.
  On Monday night, marking the fifth anniversary of the September 11th 
attacks, President Bush, speaking of Iraq, proclaimed to the American 
people that ``We would not leave until the work is done.'' However, it 
would appear that the message to the residents of in many Gulf coast 
communities is that the U.S. government will leave before the work has 
even commenced--and you may be on your own in rebuilding your lives.
  That is unconscionable.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the lessons learned from experiences of Hurricane 
Katrina is the importance of well designed, and properly maintained 
flood control structures in protecting lives and livelihoods in the 
coastal areas of Louisiana and Mississippi. These structures literally 
define the areas considered safe for homes and businesses to locate, 
and without which, communities, such as the City of New Orleans, could 
not exist.
  While Hurricane Katrina did not destroy all of the more than 350 
miles of flood control structures protecting southeast Louisiana, it 
did expose the weaknesses in a system vital to the more than one 
million residents of the region. Katrina was also a stark reminder of 
the importance of proper planning, construction, and maintenance of 
flood protection projects, because these projects literally protect the 
lives of families living behind these structures.
  Mr. Speaker, this motion to instruct the conferees on H.R. 2864, the 
Water Resources Development Act of 2005, is important for two reasons.
  First, it renews the commitment of Congress to provide the maximum 
level of flood protection for areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina to 
help its citizens restore their lives and livelihoods. Without adequate 
flood protection,

[[Page E1726]]

many citizens of the Gulf Coast simply cannot start the process of 
trying to rebuild their lives, because, without protection against 
flood and storm surge, they may be unable to obtain affordable flood 
insurance, mortgages, or other financial arrangements necessary to 
begin the process of rebuilding.
  This fact is especially true for the residents of St. Bernard Parish, 
which I inspected on foot this past April, and Lower Plaquemines 
Parish, Louisiana--the communities that bore the initial force of 
Hurricane Katrina. In Plaquemines Parish, close to one-half of all 
residents experienced some flooding or structural damage to their 
homes, and in St. Bernard Parish and the Lower 9th Ward, this number is 
close to 100 percent of homes.
  It is inconceivable that this administration would walk away from 
communities that experienced such a traumatic devastation, especially 
after reassuring citizens that the government would help rebuild their 
communities ``better and stronger than before the storm,'' We, in 
Congress, need to stand with one voice in support of rebuilding all of 
the communities affected by this storm.
  The second reason for supporting this motion is that it draws 
attention to the fact that hurricanes are more than just high wind 
events, but also carry the threat of massive storm surges. It is these 
``walls of water'' that caused the greatest extent of the damage from 
Hurricane Katrina.

  Those most affected by the hurricane are well aware of the impact of 
storm surges, and the headaches that have ensued in the aftermath 
trying to rebuild these communities. I have heard numerous stories of 
the difficulty in convincing insurance companies that hurricane damage 
can take the form both of wind damage and flooding damage. Any Member 
of Congress that has visited this region has heard that insurance 
companies are balking at settling claims for water damage, arguing that 
these damages are not covered by storm policies, because they are not 
wind damage.
  However, a storm surge is the direct result of wind-driven water. As 
Hurricane Katrina moved into the Gulf of Mexico, it pushed water in 
front of the storm, and caused the sea to rise by as much as 25 feet in 
areas of coastal Mississippi. But for the hurricane, there would have 
been no storm surge.
  As we move forward with efforts to protect communities along the Gulf 
Coast, we must be mindful of the impact both from a hurricane's winds, 
but also of the impact that such massive storms can cause from wind-
driven waters. In authorizing new or restored flood protection projects 
to protect the communities of the Gulf region, the Corps must ensure 
that projects are designed and constructed to protect against both the 
dangers of hurricane force winds, but also the threat of massive storm-
driven waters resulting from these storms.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this motion to instruct, 
and to renew the Congressional commitment to restore the lives and 
livelihoods of all residents impacted by Hurricane Katrina.

                          ____________________