[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 14569-14571]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   EXPRESSING THE SUPPORT OF CONGRESS FOR THE CREATION OF A NATIONAL 
       HURRICANE MUSEUM AND SCIENCE CENTER IN SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 54) expressing the support 
of Congress for the creation of a National Hurricane Museum and Science 
Center in Southwest Louisiana.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 54

       Whereas the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road District 
     Board of Commissioners has begun to create and develop a 
     National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in the southwest 
     Louisiana area;
       Whereas protecting, preserving, and showcasing the 
     intrinsic qualities that make Louisiana a one-of-a-kind 
     experience is the mission of the Creole Nature Trail All-
     American Road;
       Whereas the horrific experience and the devastation long-
     term effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will play a major 
     role in the history of the United States;
       Whereas a science center of this caliber will educate and 
     motivate young and old in the fields of meteorology, 
     environmental science, sociology, conservation, economics, 
     history, communications, and engineering;
       Whereas it is only appropriate that the effects of 
     hurricanes and the rebuilding efforts be captured in a 
     comprehensive center such as a National Hurricane Museum and 
     Science Center to interpret the effects of hurricanes in and 
     outside of Louisiana; and
       Whereas it is critical that the history of past hurricanes 
     be preserved so that all people in the United States can 
     learn from this history: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring),  That Congress supports

[[Page 14570]]

     and encourages the creation of a National Hurricane Museum 
     and Science Center in southwest Louisiana.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. 
Cannon) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 days with which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I want to begin by commending Representative Boustany of Louisiana 
for introducing H. Con. Res. 54, supporting and encouraging the 
creation of a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in southwest 
Louisiana.
  House Concurrent Resolution 54 expresses Congress' support of the 
Creole Nature Trail All-American Road District Board of Commissioners 
in creating and developing a National Hurricane Museum and Science 
Center in the southwest Louisiana area. Such a center will educate 
visitors about the devastating effects and rebuilding efforts 
surrounding the region's recent hurricanes and will preserve history so 
that future generations may learn from it. We support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent 
Resolution 54 and yield myself such time as I may consume.
  House Concurrent Resolution 54 has been adequately explained by the 
majority. I would like to commend Congressman Boustany for his work on 
this resolution to create the National Hurricane Museum and Science 
Center.
  I urge adoption of the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Boustany).
  Mr. BOUSTANY. I thank my colleague from Utah and the gentlelady from 
the Virgin Islands for their comments on this, and I appreciate the 
committee in allowing this to come to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution. Hurricanes Rita and 
Katrina forever changed the lives of gulf coast residents. It was not 
until the 2005 storms that most Americans really began to fully 
comprehend the potential size, strength and impact of these devastating 
natural disasters.
  We are nowhere near where we need to be as far as educating the 
public and raising awareness about hurricane preparedness.
  Last week marked the beginning of the 2007 hurricane season. Yet 
despite intense media coverage surrounding Katrina and Rita, a recent 
poll of coastal residents conducted by the Associated Press revealed 
that an astounding 88 percent had not taken any steps to protect their 
homes against future storms. Sixty-one percent had no hurricane 
survival kits on hand.
  We need to do more to remind the public about the devastation caused 
by major storms on the level of Katrina, Rita, Andrew and Ivan, as well 
as teach them about the science behind these phenomena and what we can 
do to better protect lives and property leading up to a potential 
storm.
  This resolution expresses the support of Congress for the creation of 
a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in southwest Louisiana. 
The goal of this comprehensive center is to interpret the effects of 
hurricanes on our land, people, culture and government to preserve 
artifacts and personal histories of those who have suffered and died 
because of these events, to conduct research and showcase improvements 
in meteorology, technology, communications and building systems, and 
also to offer a creative learning experience in the disciplines of 
math, science, history, geography and social sciences as they relate to 
catastrophic natural disasters.
  The Center will partner with the National Weather Service, the media 
and other public and private organizations to provide timely and 
reliable information as it relates to severe weather events and their 
aftermath.
  The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road began working on this 
project before the 2005 storms. In September, the project was awarded a 
$1.3 million Department of Transportation Scenic Byways grant, the 
largest ever awarded under the Louisiana Scenic Byways program.
  Just last week, the board conducted two public meetings in southwest 
Louisiana to seek community input on the top four sites being 
considered for the museum and science center. A final site selection is 
expected to be announced later this month, honoring the 50th 
anniversary of Hurricane Audrey, a storm that was devastating in my 
congressional district and took many lives years ago.
  The National Hurricane Museum and Science Center will not only serve 
as a historical center to study the effects that hurricanes have on our 
coast, it will be a living memorial to attract scholars, students and 
tourists to the region, a region that's still struggling to recover 
after the 2005 storms.
  Southwest Louisiana is constantly learning how to protect itself from 
future disasters, and this project will help assist our efforts and our 
neighbors along the gulf coast and throughout the country in that 
important effort.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe).
  Mr. POE. I want to thank the gentleman from Utah for yielding.
  Across the Sabine River from southwest Louisiana is southeast Texas, 
and the citizens of southeast Texas are still reeling from the beating 
that they got from Hurricane Rita in 2005. The hurricane devastated 
rice farmers who were struggling even before the wind and rain 
destroyed most of their crops.
  It hit the oil refineries in my congressional district and across the 
gulf coast, which account for one-third of the Nation's domestic oil 
production, and it brought our fuel supply to a screeching halt. 
Gasoline prices soared, and citizens can no longer afford to heat and 
even cool their homes.
  Amidst the chaos of Hurricane Rita and its aftermath, lawlessness 
preyed upon the real victims. Some of those who weathered the storm 
took advantage of FEMA's incompetence in its attempt to distribute 
money to those in need. The cheaters took FEMA debit cards and spent 
them on gentlemen's clubs and brand-new cars. The real victims 
languished homeless and helpless, waiting for the Federal Government to 
do something.
  The folks in my congressional district can still feel the impact of 
the hurricane 2 years later. People are still trying to just survive; 
and, as Mr. Boustany has said, another hurricane season is now upon us. 
We cannot forget how a few short hours in southwest Louisiana and 
southeast Texas caused so much destruction. We cannot forget in 
historical terms Hurricane Katrina or Rita, and we must remember they 
are not rare events for the gulf coast.
  In 1900, an unnamed hurricane was the deadliest natural disaster in 
our Nation's history. It killed between 10- and 12,000 people in 
Galveston, Texas. It destroyed most of the buildings on the island, 
some 3,600. With remarkable determination, the survivors of the great 
storm of 1900 raised the whole City of Galveston, Texas, 12 feet to 
protect it from future disasters.

                              {time}  1440

  We cannot forget the victims of the past, and we must remember how 
the victims of Katrina and Rita are still fighting to recover their 
homes, their towns and their livelihoods, and we must be better 
prepared in the future.
  That's why, Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to rise in support of this 
resolution offered by my friend and colleague, the gentleman from 
Louisiana.
  The National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Southwest 
Louisiana

[[Page 14571]]

will honor these victims and those of previous hurricanes, preserve 
their history. It will tell the stories of all the hurricanes of the 
past, but also encourage new solutions for natural disasters of the 
future. So I'd like to commend Dr. Boustany for offering this important 
resolution. It's a long time in coming.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Con. Res. 54, which supports the creation of a National Hurricane 
Museum and Science Center in Southwest Louisiana. The creation of a 
National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in southwest Louisiana 
will serve as a historical reminder for all Americans as well as the 
rest of the world of the importance of disaster preparedness.
  We must not forget the depths of the devastation and despair of 
Hurricane Katrina that resulted from the lack of proactive disaster 
planning and preparedness. Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one 
of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. It was 
the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third-
strongest hurricane on record that made landfall in the United States. 
Katrina formed on August 23 during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season 
and caused devastation along much of the north-central Gulf Coast of 
the United States. Most notable in media coverage were the catastrophic 
effects on the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and in coastal 
Mississippi. Due to its sheer size, Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast 
as far as 100 miles from the storm's epicenter.
  Mr. Speaker, the images of the detriment and devastation remain 
deeply etched in my mind and much of the remnants of the tragedy still 
remain in those communities today. The storm surge caused severe and 
catastrophic damage along the Gulf coast, devastating the cities of Bay 
St. Louis, Waveland, Biloxi/Gulfport in Mississippi, Mobile, Alabama, 
and Slidell, Louisiana and other towns in Louisiana. Levees separating 
Lake Pontchartrain and several canals from New Orleans were breached a 
few days after Hurricane Katrina had subsided, subsequently flooding 
80% of the city and many areas of neighboring parishes for weeks. In 
addition, severe wind damage was reported well inland.
  Although we continue to mourn the loss of the thousands of victims 
who perished in Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, we must still push 
forward to gain knowledge and insight about these disastrous hurricanes 
and their effects on the public. The Hurricane Center has the potential 
to provide a great source of educational service to the American public 
as concerns about the rapidly changing climate in hurricane-prone 
regions rise.
  The Hurricane Center will not only educate but also motivate the 
young and the old in the fields of meteorology, environmental science, 
sociology, conservation, economics, history, communications, and 
engineering. In addition, the Hurricane Center can benefit everyone by 
providing resources that inform the public on preparing, surviving and 
recovering from natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. Hopefully, 
this will enable us to avoid such needless and devastating results as 
those from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.
  Examining technology, engineering, and preservation of natural 
barriers all can help to reduce the impact of hurricanes. It is only 
appropriate that the effects of hurricanes and the rebuilding efforts 
be captured in a comprehensive center such as a National Hurricane 
Museum and Science Center to interpret the effects of hurricanes in and 
outside of Louisiana. For these reasons, I strongly support H. Con. 
Res. 54 and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the creation of 
a Museum and Science Center that will serve to remind and educate 
Americans about the importance of hurricane disaster preparedness.
  Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
54.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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