[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 5, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H5937-H5939]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING THE SUPPORT OF CONGRESS FOR THE CREATION OF A NATIONAL
HURRICANE MUSEUM AND SCIENCE CENTER IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree
to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 54) expressing the support
of Congress for the creation of a National Hurricane Museum and Science
Center in Southwest Louisiana.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:
H. Con. Res. 54
Whereas the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road District
Board of Commissioners has begun to create and develop a
National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in the southwest
Louisiana area;
Whereas protecting, preserving, and showcasing the
intrinsic qualities that make Louisiana a one-of-a-kind
experience is the mission of the Creole Nature Trail All-
American Road;
Whereas the horrific experience and the devastation long-
term effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will play a major
role in the history of the United States;
Whereas a science center of this caliber will educate and
motivate young and old in the fields of meteorology,
environmental science, sociology, conservation, economics,
history, communications, and engineering;
Whereas it is only appropriate that the effects of
hurricanes and the rebuilding efforts be captured in a
comprehensive center such as a National Hurricane Museum and
Science Center to interpret the effects of hurricanes in and
outside of Louisiana; and
Whereas it is critical that the history of past hurricanes
be preserved so that all people in the United States can
learn from this history: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress supports and encourages the
creation of a National
[[Page H5938]]
Hurricane Museum and Science Center in southwest Louisiana.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr.
Cannon) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands.
General Leave
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 days with which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands?
There was no objection.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I want to begin by commending Representative Boustany of Louisiana
for introducing H. Con. Res. 54, supporting and encouraging the
creation of a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in southwest
Louisiana.
House Concurrent Resolution 54 expresses Congress' support of the
Creole Nature Trail All-American Road District Board of Commissioners
in creating and developing a National Hurricane Museum and Science
Center in the southwest Louisiana area. Such a center will educate
visitors about the devastating effects and rebuilding efforts
surrounding the region's recent hurricanes and will preserve history so
that future generations may learn from it. We support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent
Resolution 54 and yield myself such time as I may consume.
House Concurrent Resolution 54 has been adequately explained by the
majority. I would like to commend Congressman Boustany for his work on
this resolution to create the National Hurricane Museum and Science
Center.
I urge adoption of the resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr.
Boustany).
Mr. BOUSTANY. I thank my colleague from Utah and the gentlelady from
the Virgin Islands for their comments on this, and I appreciate the
committee in allowing this to come to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution. Hurricanes Rita and
Katrina forever changed the lives of gulf coast residents. It was not
until the 2005 storms that most Americans really began to fully
comprehend the potential size, strength and impact of these devastating
natural disasters.
We are nowhere near where we need to be as far as educating the
public and raising awareness about hurricane preparedness.
Last week marked the beginning of the 2007 hurricane season. Yet
despite intense media coverage surrounding Katrina and Rita, a recent
poll of coastal residents conducted by the Associated Press revealed
that an astounding 88 percent had not taken any steps to protect their
homes against future storms. Sixty-one percent had no hurricane
survival kits on hand.
We need to do more to remind the public about the devastation caused
by major storms on the level of Katrina, Rita, Andrew and Ivan, as well
as teach them about the science behind these phenomena and what we can
do to better protect lives and property leading up to a potential
storm.
This resolution expresses the support of Congress for the creation of
a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in southwest Louisiana.
The goal of this comprehensive center is to interpret the effects of
hurricanes on our land, people, culture and government to preserve
artifacts and personal histories of those who have suffered and died
because of these events, to conduct research and showcase improvements
in meteorology, technology, communications and building systems, and
also to offer a creative learning experience in the disciplines of
math, science, history, geography and social sciences as they relate to
catastrophic natural disasters.
The Center will partner with the National Weather Service, the media
and other public and private organizations to provide timely and
reliable information as it relates to severe weather events and their
aftermath.
The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road began working on this
project before the 2005 storms. In September, the project was awarded a
$1.3 million Department of Transportation Scenic Byways grant, the
largest ever awarded under the Louisiana Scenic Byways program.
Just last week, the board conducted two public meetings in southwest
Louisiana to seek community input on the top four sites being
considered for the museum and science center. A final site selection is
expected to be announced later this month, honoring the 50th
anniversary of Hurricane Audrey, a storm that was devastating in my
congressional district and took many lives years ago.
The National Hurricane Museum and Science Center will not only serve
as a historical center to study the effects that hurricanes have on our
coast, it will be a living memorial to attract scholars, students and
tourists to the region, a region that's still struggling to recover
after the 2005 storms.
Southwest Louisiana is constantly learning how to protect itself from
future disasters, and this project will help assist our efforts and our
neighbors along the gulf coast and throughout the country in that
important effort.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Poe).
Mr. POE. I want to thank the gentleman from Utah for yielding.
Across the Sabine River from southwest Louisiana is southeast Texas,
and the citizens of southeast Texas are still reeling from the beating
that they got from Hurricane Rita in 2005. The hurricane devastated
rice farmers who were struggling even before the wind and rain
destroyed most of their crops.
It hit the oil refineries in my congressional district and across the
gulf coast, which account for one-third of the Nation's domestic oil
production, and it brought our fuel supply to a screeching halt.
Gasoline prices soared, and citizens can no longer afford to heat and
even cool their homes.
Amidst the chaos of Hurricane Rita and its aftermath, lawlessness
preyed upon the real victims. Some of those who weathered the storm
took advantage of FEMA's incompetence in its attempt to distribute
money to those in need. The cheaters took FEMA debit cards and spent
them on gentlemen's clubs and brand-new cars. The real victims
languished homeless and helpless, waiting for the Federal Government to
do something.
The folks in my congressional district can still feel the impact of
the hurricane 2 years later. People are still trying to just survive;
and, as Mr. Boustany has said, another hurricane season is now upon us.
We cannot forget how a few short hours in southwest Louisiana and
southeast Texas caused so much destruction. We cannot forget in
historical terms Hurricane Katrina or Rita, and we must remember they
are not rare events for the gulf coast.
In 1900, an unnamed hurricane was the deadliest natural disaster in
our Nation's history. It killed between 10- and 12,000 people in
Galveston, Texas. It destroyed most of the buildings on the island,
some 3,600. With remarkable determination, the survivors of the great
storm of 1900 raised the whole City of Galveston, Texas, 12 feet to
protect it from future disasters.
{time} 1440
We cannot forget the victims of the past, and we must remember how
the victims of Katrina and Rita are still fighting to recover their
homes, their towns and their livelihoods, and we must be better
prepared in the future.
That's why, Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to rise in support of this
resolution offered by my friend and colleague, the gentleman from
Louisiana.
The National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Southwest
Louisiana will honor these victims and those of previous hurricanes,
preserve their history. It will tell the stories of all the hurricanes
of the past, but also encourage new solutions for natural disasters of
the future. So I'd like to commend Dr. Boustany for offering this
important resolution. It's a long time in coming.
[[Page H5939]]
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.
Con. Res. 54, which supports the creation of a National Hurricane
Museum and Science Center in Southwest Louisiana. The creation of a
National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in southwest Louisiana
will serve as a historical reminder for all Americans as well as the
rest of the world of the importance of disaster preparedness.
We must not forget the depths of the devastation and despair of
Hurricane Katrina that resulted from the lack of proactive disaster
planning and preparedness. Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one
of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. It was
the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third-
strongest hurricane on record that made landfall in the United States.
Katrina formed on August 23 during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season
and caused devastation along much of the north-central Gulf Coast of
the United States. Most notable in media coverage were the catastrophic
effects on the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and in coastal
Mississippi. Due to its sheer size, Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast
as far as 100 miles from the storm's epicenter.
Mr. Speaker, the images of the detriment and devastation remain
deeply etched in my mind and much of the remnants of the tragedy still
remain in those communities today. The storm surge caused severe and
catastrophic damage along the Gulf coast, devastating the cities of Bay
St. Louis, Waveland, Biloxi/Gulfport in Mississippi, Mobile, Alabama,
and Slidell, Louisiana and other towns in Louisiana. Levees separating
Lake Pontchartrain and several canals from New Orleans were breached a
few days after Hurricane Katrina had subsided, subsequently flooding
80% of the city and many areas of neighboring parishes for weeks. In
addition, severe wind damage was reported well inland.
Although we continue to mourn the loss of the thousands of victims
who perished in Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, we must still push
forward to gain knowledge and insight about these disastrous hurricanes
and their effects on the public. The Hurricane Center has the potential
to provide a great source of educational service to the American public
as concerns about the rapidly changing climate in hurricane-prone
regions rise.
The Hurricane Center will not only educate but also motivate the
young and the old in the fields of meteorology, environmental science,
sociology, conservation, economics, history, communications, and
engineering. In addition, the Hurricane Center can benefit everyone by
providing resources that inform the public on preparing, surviving and
recovering from natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. Hopefully,
this will enable us to avoid such needless and devastating results as
those from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
Examining technology, engineering, and preservation of natural
barriers all can help to reduce the impact of hurricanes. It is only
appropriate that the effects of hurricanes and the rebuilding efforts
be captured in a comprehensive center such as a National Hurricane
Museum and Science Center to interpret the effects of hurricanes in and
outside of Louisiana. For these reasons, I strongly support H. Con.
Res. 54 and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the creation of
a Museum and Science Center that will serve to remind and educate
Americans about the importance of hurricane disaster preparedness.
Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res.
54.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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