[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18025]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HURRICANE AUDREY

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. CHARLES W. BOUSTANY, JR.

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 27, 2007

  Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I rise today as a native of Southwest 
Louisiana to remember the lives that were lost 50 years ago today when 
Hurricane Audrey swept across the bayou. In the early morning hours of 
June 27, 1957, the Category 4 storm barreled ashore, claiming at least 
500 lives in Cameron and Vermillion parishes. Two hundred of the 
storm's victims were children.
  Hurricane Audrey is the seventh deadliest storm in the history of the 
United States. To date, Audrey remains the only storm of its size to 
make landfall in June. Too many of Southwest Louisiana's lifelong 
residents who had been seasoned by years of hurricanes did not heed the 
warnings to evacuate. Additionally, the storm struck the coast hours 
before its anticipated arrival, cutting off evacuation routes and 
trapping residents in the hurricane's path.
  Unfortunately, we know that the kind of devastation and misery that 
Audrey brought to Louisiana are not isolated to that fateful day in 
1957. Two years ago, when Hurricanes Rita and Katrina hit Louisiana, a 
new generation of Americans experienced first hand the destruction 
these storms can bring.
  Powerful hurricanes continue to assault the shores of Louisiana. As 
we enter into the 2007 hurricane season, I urge Americans living along 
the Gulf Coast to take steps to protect their families and their 
property. Scientists predict that 17 named storms will develop in the 
Atlantic and Caribbean this year. Nine of these storms are expected to 
reach hurricane status.
  Advanced preparation is key to weathering these storms. Let us take 
lessons from our past so we can minimize the potential for harm in the 
future.

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