[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19956]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES OF NATION TO VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CHARLES A. GONZALEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 8, 2005

  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my thoughts on 
perhaps the worst natural catastrophe to occur in America in my 
lifetime. Hurricane Katrina wreaked devastation beyond any we've seen 
and we will feel its wrath for years to come. As a Nation, we will 
continue to grapple with the destruction and the task of rebuilding.
  In the days and weeks to come, we will keep the survivors and victims 
in our thoughts and prayers while we begin the arduous process of 
surveying the damage. As of yet, we still do not know how many lost 
their lives during the onslaught of the storm or in the aftermath. The 
early estimates place the lives lost in the thousands, and the coming 
days may push that tally higher.
  We will also pray for the survivors many of whom have been evacuated 
to the surrounding states. I am proud that San Antonio, my hometown, is 
opening its doors for thousands of Americans who have nowhere else to 
go. In some ways, this is America's finest hour as strangers have 
opened their homes and communities to people who departed from New 
Orleans on buses or planes often with just the clothes on their backs.
  Of course, we cannot praise enough the brave men and women of the 
Gulf region's police departments, rescue teams, the National Guard, and 
the Armed Services. Time and again, they risked their lives to rescue 
the thousands of stranded people in Mississippi, Alabama, and 
Louisiana. When their Nation called, they answered. This week, we will 
fill the Congressional Record recounting their bravery and selflessness 
in the face of horrors and danger rarely seen in this country. They did 
better than could be expected with the resources and supplies they had.
  Inexcusably, the administration failed both these heroes and those in 
need of aid. In the days after the hurricane had passed, the slow and 
inadequate response created another crisis that compounded the initial 
damage. Who was not angered and frustrated as the images from New 
Orleans washed over us like the floodwaters that engulfed the city 
after the levees were breached? How is it possible that we could not 
transport food, water, and medicine to the thousands trapped in the 
city? How could the conditions in the Superdome and the Convention 
center grow so dire?
  We could assemble one of the world's most formidable military forces 
to invade Iraq which is halfway across the globe, yet we could not 
transport the essentials to a major American city. This simply boggles 
the mind and moves the conscience to anger and shame. Because the 
various governmental agencies lacked direction, thousands may have died 
days after the storm subsided. Will the administration continue to 
blame the State and local governments for being unable to coordinate a 
relief effort too big for any one entity save the Federal government? 
This is unacceptable, and clearly Congress will need to investigate and 
remedy the shameful shortcomings of the current Federal emergency 
management system.
  Some of my colleagues say that the race and the poverty of the 
victims dictated the speed of the relief effort. Some would also 
condemn the fiscal priorities of an administration that has pursued 
reckless tax cuts during a time of war and while our national 
infrastructure literally crumbles. Early reports indicate the 
administration cut funding for the Army Corps of Engineers to maintain 
the levee system in New Orleans. Yet, until all the facts are in, I 
urge my colleagues to reserve judgment, yet failing to fully 
investigate this calamity no matter how painful or embarrassing it may 
prove would breach our duty to the American people. We owe this to 
those the administration failed.

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