[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14133]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCTION OF HOMELAND SECURITY RELIEF CORPS ACT OF 2008

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                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 26, 2008

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, last Friday, 121 
truckloads of needed Household supplies arrived in the Gulf Coast for 
people displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Though these supplies 
are surely still welcome, they arrived 3 years late.
  Tragically, at the same time that 90,000 ``living kits'' were 
distributed by FEMA in Louisiana, other Americans, this time in the 
Midwest, have experienced a trauma of their own, as flood waters rose 
and levee after levee was breached. Resources-whether human, financial, 
or equipment-must be made available immediately to the American people 
in need, whether that need is a result of storms, floods, terrorist 
attacks, and other emergencies.
  A recent Mason Dixon poll indicates that some residents of hurricane-
vulnerable states say they will not evacuate and prefer to weather 
storms at home. Furthermore, the results of the poll indicate that many 
residents lack disaster plans and are still misinformed about how to 
protect themselves and their families during a storm. These results are 
particularly troubling when we consider how many citizens of the Gulf 
Coast did not have plans and were forced to accept relocation to toxic 
trailers.
  The Homeland Security Relief Corps Act of 2008 will ensure that the 
areas ravaged by Katrina will not go unattended by providing trained 
workers to engage in actual rebuilding efforts. This bill will assist 
us in addressing some of the harms caused by Katrina.
  As introduced, the Homeland Security Relief Corps Act will establish 
a much needed Response and Recovery Corps within the Department of 
Homeland Security. The Corps members will receive core training in 
emergency response, post-incident recovery, and rebuilding efforts. 
Equipped with the knowledge and preparation needed to make the disaster 
recovery process more efficient, the Corps members will be of 
tremendous assistance to the ravaged areas.
  With the floods in the Midwest and the other disasters this Nation 
has seen since Katrina, it is time for citizens to get more involved in 
disaster response and recovery. This bill provides a path to the 
rebuilding of the Gulf Coast and provides hope for quicker recovery for 
residents of other ravaged areas.

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