[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 38 (Monday, March 14, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1578-S1579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JAPAN EARTHQUAKE
Ms. LANDRIEU. What I really wish to talk about is to give my
heartfelt condolences to the people of Japan. We have watched all
weekend, my family and I, in horror, watching the scene unfold with the
terrible catastrophe that struck Japan on Friday afternoon, following
the earthquake, 9.0 on the Richter scale, followed by a terrible
tsunami, a wave of water in some places 30 feet high that devastated
coastal communities. Some of the pictures are reminiscent of what
happened to us on the gulf coast about 5\1/2\ years ago when a 30-foot
wave came ashore right into Gulfport and Biloxi and the catastrophe of
manmade proportion, in our case, when the Federal levy system broke and
1,800 people lost their lives. But this situation in Japan is the worst
crisis, according to their Prime Minister, since the Second World War.
It is going to take all of our best efforts, governments around the
world, individuals, corporations, and businesses, to be generous. I
hope the people of Louisiana and our cities and communities will be
generous because we were so benefited by the warm generosity of the
people of Japan and many volunteers who came from all over the country
and the world.
I hope, as this week of search and rescue comes to a close, there
will be time for debris cleanup and rebuilding and mental health
counseling--all of the things that go into helping an area of the
country survive and grow back. I know the people of Japan were as
prepared as any country could be for a situation such as this, but the
events of that day have overwhelmed one of the best and most organized
governments in the world.
I am heartbroken to hear that thousands of people are yet unaccounted
for. Our hearts go out to them. I hope our Nation will be generous in
this time, not only from a charitable and
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moral standpoint, but Japan is one of the strongest economies in the
world.
From the State I represent, Louisiana, we are their second largest
trading partner as a State. The people of Louisiana and all of our
States have a vested interest in Japan getting back on its feet,
getting better and stronger. We are still in the process of rebuilding
New Orleans and the Lower Ninth Ward. New Orleans East, Gulfport, and
Waveland are still struggling to come back--an important economic
center for the country. But most certainly this coastal and industrial
community around Sendai and other coastal communities are very
important, not just to Japan but to the world.
I hope, with this 9.0 earthquake that hit, I hope people know this is
1,000 times worse than an 8 point on the Richter scale. It is not
slightly worse; it is 1,000 times worse. This is a huge earthquake and
shift in the Earth's plates--and then the subsequent tsunami.
On behalf of the people of Louisiana, we send special condolences and
best wishes to the people of Japan as they recover and bury their dead,
heal their injured, and begin to rebuild their cities and communities
stronger than they were before. I hope we will all be as generous as we
can.
One final point. This is a wake-up call to our country. As chairman
of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, this is a
wake-up call because we have not funded adequately our disaster
response fund, the DRF. We are actually about $1.6 billion below where
we should be. This is not a wise policy given what happened over the
weekend. Catastrophes can strike without warning at any time. If we
leave just the amount of money that is in the DRF and something like
Katrina or this event were to happen, that money would be used up in 3
days. We have not replenished that fund.
I have called on the President to send a supplemental emergency bill.
We can't pay for current disasters out of future preparedness money.
That is what the continuing resolution in the House basically does. I
strongly object to taking money we have set aside in the event that
catastrophes happen to pay for past disasters. That is another reason I
voted against the House concurrent resolution.
Now with the visual of this horrific tragedy unfolding in Japan, with
the tsunami, the destruction of the cities, the two nuclear powerplants
under extraordinary pressure, it does no good to take money out of
paying for current disasters, paying for the past damage.
I have sent a letter to the President asking him to send up an
emergency bill. It would be wise for us to pay for past emergencies
off-budget and then to use our homeland security bill to budget as
effectively and as appropriately as we can for disasters that may
occur.
I am proud to say that the Democratic leadership has doubled the
amount of money we are setting aside in case these things happen. It
used to be only $800 million a year. Now we are budgeting close to 1.8
or 1.9, thinking that in the event that something happens, we want to
be prepared.
In 48 States, disasters have been declared in the last 2 years, not
just along the gulf coast. We have had flooding up in the Northeast. We
have had flooding in the Midwest. We could potentially have--we had
some flooding this weekend. I am not sure how widespread it was, but in
New Jersey, there were scenes throughout the weekend about rivers
overflowing as the spring approaches.
So let us, as we mourn for Japan and are in solidarity with them
through this crisis, use this as a reminder to get our business
straight, to get our budget straight and not mess around with our
disaster relief fund. Let's pay for past disasters we owe the
communities--we have pledged to help them rebuild--and set aside the
appropriate money in the regular budget to take care of things that
might happen this year as we advance.
Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed in
morning business for 20 minutes instead of 10.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. McCAIN. And, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that after my
opening statement, my colleague from Connecticut be allowed to give his
statement, and then I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from
Connecticut and I be allowed to engage in a colloquy. And I understand
the Senator from Connecticut may be using his 10 minutes. Is that
correct?
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. McCAIN. Thank you, Mr. President.
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