[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19454]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           EXPRESSING SORROW TO VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ruppersberger) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join all Americans in 
expressing our great sorrow for those who have lost loved ones in the 
wake of Hurricane Katrina and our outrage for those still suffering in 
the South. This is a real crisis, and Americans are in need. These 
people, many of whom are most vulnerable, have lost everything. Now 
they are losing hope.
  President Bush has called the response ``not acceptable.'' This must 
change now. It is not about Democrats or Republicans; it is about 
helping our fellow Americans in their darkest hour. This is not the 
time for excuses or blame. Our country has the means to rescue and care 
for these people; and we must do it quickly, before more lives are 
lost.
  First, we need to address their very basic needs. We need to get 
food, water, and medical supplies to the thousands of people 
desperately waiting for it at shelters like the Superdome and the 
convention center in New Orleans. Rescue workers also need to get a 
handle on who is trying to survive out on their own in flooded areas 
across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. We need to send out 
the National Guard and local police in skiffs, boats and helicopters to 
locate these people, street by street and house by house, rescue them 
and bring them to a safe location where supplies are waiting for them 
and reconnect them with their loved ones. One national database needs 
to be set up for family members searching for survivors once they have 
been brought to safety.
  But before we need to do that, we must set up a central command 
center to coordinate the response from top to bottom. One of the many 
complaints that we have heard is that no one is in charge. We need 
someone leading the recovery efforts, calling the shots and directing 
the resources where they are needed most. We are now a Nation at war 
with time, and we need a real war room to ensure these people survive.
  Another complaint we hear often is a lack of communication. There is 
no power, so TVs and radios do not work and cell phone communication is 
sketchy at best.
  Today, almost 5 days after Hurricane Katrina rocked the Gulf Coast, 
people still have no idea what to do. First responders need good 
information to tell people where to go for help. Rescue workers need 
the Federal Government to pitch in and give them the communication and 
technology necessary to coordinate their efforts.
  Finally, law and order must be restored. People in these flood-
ravaged areas are homeless, scared and desperate. Some have crossed the 
line and turned to violence. The National Guard needs to move in 
immediately in massive numbers to restore peace and stability along 
with local law enforcement.
  This is all on the short term. In the long term, these hurricane 
victims need somewhere to go until their towns and cities can be 
rebuilt. The Federal Government needs to consider opening up military 
bases across the country so families can live there until they are put 
back in their homes or put back in their own lives. Every State in the 
country should consider taking a certain number of families and housing 
them in their State so everyone can pitch in.
  Finally, once we have done all of this, we must evaluate what was 
done wrong and what was done right. We must learn from this experience 
so that we can better respond the next time.
  In closing, I know there are many inspiring stories that are not 
being told, the massive efforts of the Coast Guard to rescue everyone 
they could and other individuals out there who have put their lives on 
the line to help and save other people, the neighbors helping neighbors 
make it through the worst natural disaster many have ever seen. Those 
are not the stories that are making the evening news.
  But I know the true value of the American spirit. In these dark 
times, I know these communities will be rebuilt, and these families, 
these cities and towns and this Nation will persevere.

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