[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 107 (Thursday, June 26, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1379-E1380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCTION OF HOMELAND SECURITY RELIEF CORPS ACT OF 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 26, 2008

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, last Friday, 121 
truckloads of needed Household supplies arrived in the Gulf Coast for 
people displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Though these supplies 
are surely still welcome, they arrived 3 years late.
  Tragically, at the same time that 90,000 ``living kits'' were 
distributed by FEMA in Louisiana, other Americans, this time in the 
Midwest, have experienced a trauma of their own, as flood waters rose 
and levee after levee was breached. Resources-whether human, financial, 
or equipment-must be made available immediately to the American people 
in need, whether that need is a result of storms, floods, terrorist 
attacks, and other emergencies.
  A recent Mason Dixon poll indicates that some residents of hurricane-
vulnerable states say they will not evacuate and prefer to weather 
storms at home. Furthermore, the results of the poll indicate that many 
residents lack disaster plans and are still misinformed about how to 
protect themselves and their

[[Page E1380]]

families during a storm. These results are particularly troubling when 
we consider how many citizens of the Gulf Coast did not have plans and 
were forced to accept relocation to toxic trailers.
  The Homeland Security Relief Corps Act of 2008 will ensure that the 
areas ravaged by Katrina will not go unattended by providing trained 
workers to engage in actual rebuilding efforts. This bill will assist 
us in addressing some of the harms caused by Katrina.
  As introduced, the Homeland Security Relief Corps Act will establish 
a much needed Response and Recovery Corps within the Department of 
Homeland Security. The Corps members will receive core training in 
emergency response, post-incident recovery, and rebuilding efforts. 
Equipped with the knowledge and preparation needed to make the disaster 
recovery process more efficient, the Corps members will be of 
tremendous assistance to the ravaged areas.
  With the floods in the Midwest and the other disasters this Nation 
has seen since Katrina, it is time for citizens to get more involved in 
disaster response and recovery. This bill provides a path to the 
rebuilding of the Gulf Coast and provides hope for quicker recovery for 
residents of other ravaged areas.

                          ____________________