[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 57 (Thursday, March 31, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FEMA CASEWORKER ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 30, 2022

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of 
H.R. 5343, the ``FEMA Caseworker Accountability Act.''
  This bill directs FEMA to report to Congress on case management 
personnel turnover.
  Specifically, FEMA must report on the turnover rate for their case 
management personnel, the average and median length of employment for 
such personnel, the steps that FEMA is taking or plans to take to lower 
the turnover rate, and other specified points.
  Madam Speaker, FEMA's importance cannot be overstated. They have 
invaluable abilities to plan, coordinate, and execute very complex 
strategies to fulfill the disaster response and mitigation needs of 
local and state governments through collaboration and cooperation among 
a broad range of federal government agencies.
  Following the havoc inflicted by Hurricane Harvey, I experienced 
firsthand the power of FEMA's skill, care, and rapid execution.
  The nine-county Houston metro area that was impacted by Hurricane 
Harvey covers 9,444 square miles, an area larger than five states, 
including New Hampshire, New Jersey and Connecticut.
  Harris County covers 1,778 square miles, enough space to fit New York 
City, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Austin and Dallas, with 
room still to spare.
  Over 41,500 square miles of land mass were impacted by Hurricane 
Harvey and the subsequent flooding that covered an area larger than the 
States of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and 
Vermont combined.
  Hurricane Harvey dropped 21 trillion gallons of rainfall on Texas and 
Louisiana, most of it on the Houston Metroplex.
  Harvey dropped 51.88 inches of rain near Cedar Bayou, the highest 
total ever recorded for a single U.S. weather event.
  At its peak on September 1, 2017, one-third of Houston was 
underwater.
  At the peak on August 31, there were 34,575 evacuees in shelters 
across Texas.
  Hurricane Harvey is the largest housing disaster to strike the U.S. 
in our nation's history, damaging 203,000 homes, of which 12,700 were 
destroyed.
  Months after Hurricane Harvey, in February 2018, an estimated 10,098 
families were still residing in hotel rooms, in over 1,500 hotels. 
Thousands of others whose homes were severely damaged were living with 
family or friends.
  It was also the second costliest disaster ever recorded in the United 
States, with an estimated $125 billion dollars in damages.
  In its wake, 889,425 people registered for assistance with the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
  There were scores of families, including small children and the 
elderly, living in mold-infested or gutted-out homes.
  When this once-in-a-lifetime disaster struck my district, FEMA did 
their jobs exceedingly well, for which I am incredibly grateful.
  However, there is always room for improvement in federal agencies, 
and FEMA is no exception.
  A high rate of caseworker turnover is the last thing that vulnerable 
families need. In my district, the recovery from Hurricane Harvey is 
ongoing, which can be seen in the caved-in roofs, torn-up streets; and 
shuttered buildings across my district.
  Those problems do not linger singularly because of caseworker 
turnover, but it is certainly a significant reason. If no one is 
working on closing these cases, or they are being managed by only a few 
overwhelmed individuals, that's a problem which needs fixing.
  Therefore, passing this legislation will set us on a path to fix that 
problem, Madam Speaker, which is why I strongly support this 
legislation and urge my colleagues to support it as well.
  H.R. 5343 will play a critical role in FEMA's post-disaster response 
operations, and I look forward to reviewing Administrator Criswell's 
future report and implementing its recommendations.

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