[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 23, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E57]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     REINTRODUCING THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY CENTERS ESTABLISHMENT ACT

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 23, 2013

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce the 
National Emergency Centers Establishment Act, a bill that I first 
introduced in the 109th Congress. This legislation authorizes the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make use of already 
closed military facilities to coordinate emergency response and provide 
voluntary humanitarian assistance to Americans displaced by natural 
disasters.
  From Hurricane Katrina to Hurricane Sandy, and numerous other 
destructive disasters, we have seen time and time again how emergency 
relief efforts can be complex, expensive, and oftentimes chaotic. 
Despite the extraordinary efforts can be complex, expensive, and 
oftentimes chaotic. Despite the extraordinary efforts of agencies like 
FEMA, the American Red Cross, and other local and national 
organizations to provide immediate relief, natural disasters can leave 
tens of thousands of Americans struggling for long periods of time. 
Sixteen months after Hurricane Katrina, 60,000 Americans were still 
ill-housed, and struggling to access adequate food and health care, 
education and jobs. I have seen similar effects following hurricanes in 
my home state of Florida.
  While disaster preparedness, response, and recovery has improved 
greatly in recent years, difficult challenges remain. I believe that we 
must increase the availability of temporary housing in times of 
national emergencies, and improve training and preparedness for 
national emergencies in order to ensure that we can mitigate as much as 
possible the humanitarian catastrophes that occurred in the Gulf Coast, 
the Atlantic Coast, and elsewhere in the nation.
  My legislation authorized FEMA to establish six National Emergency 
Centers throughout the United States. The Centers will be used to 
provide temporary housing, medical and humanitarian assistance for 
individuals and families displaced due to an emergency. The Centers 
will also serve as a centralized location for the training and 
coordination of first responders in the instance of an emergency. In 
addition, the Centers will improve the coordination of preparedness, 
response, and recovery efforts between governments, private companies, 
not-for-profit entities and faith-based organizations.
  I would like to point out, Mr. Speaker, that the use of these 
facilities would be totally voluntary on the part of displaced 
Americans. No federal agency is authorized under this legislation to 
force anyone to evacuate to these facilities, nor to force those who 
voluntarily arrive there to remain longer than they wish. The goal is 
to provide the facility and means for Americans displaced by disasters 
to continue leading their lives as much as possible.
  The National Emergency Centers will be located on military bases that 
have been closed during the most recent Base Realignment and Closures 
(BRAC) round. I am proposing these sites because the necessary 
infrastructure to house, feed, and care for evacuees over an extended 
period of time is already in place, thus limiting the cost and time 
needed to construct these facilities. Military bases often contain 
large warehouses or hangers, ideal locations for storing large amounts 
of supplies and equipment. Finally, military bases are often accessible 
by a wide range of transportation links, and may themselves have train 
yards or airstrips capable of facilitating the rapid disbursement of 
supplies or relief efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, we have an obligation to better prepare and more 
adequately respond to the needs of communities hit by natural 
disasters. Furthermore, we must ensure that basic needs of disaster 
victims are met immediately following the devastation. The goal of this 
legislation is to improve humanitarian relief to individuals and 
families displaced and suffering from the effects of a natural 
disaster. The idea is to have an accessible central location that can 
house large numbers of people while providing for their immediate 
medical and daily needs.
  I ask my colleagues to support this legislation, and urge the House 
Leadership to bring this bill to the floor for its swift consideration.

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