[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4491]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO SHERYL SOUNDAR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 25, 2015

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to interact with some of the 
brightest students in the 22nd Congressional District who serve on my 
Congressional Youth Advisory Council. I have gained much by listening 
to the high school students who are the future of this great nation. 
They provide important insight into the concerns of our younger 
constituents and hopefully get a better sense of the importance of 
being an active participant in the political process. Many of the 
students have written short essays on a variety of topics and I am 
pleased to share them with my House colleagues.
  Sheryl Soundar attends Manvel High School in Manvel, Texas. The essay 
topic is: select an important event that has occurred in the past 15 
years and explain how that event has changed our country.

       When asked for the most important event in our country's 
     history within the past fifteen years, most people will say 
     September 11, and not without good reason. That day launched 
     the United States into a war that still demands American 
     soldiers. It cost many lives, changed an entire country's 
     outlook on foreign affairs, and put a standstill on many 
     domestic issues. However, another event that is often 
     forgotten in the glaring spotlight of 9/11 is Hurricane 
     Katrina.
       Personally, I have many memories of Katrina and the damage 
     that it did to New Orleans, having lived in Houston during 
     that time. This story occupied an entire month of evening 
     news broadcasts and cemented into my memory the struggles 
     that the people of New Orleans faced. The Federal Emergency 
     Management Agency (FEMA) also faced a struggle, but of a 
     different sort. FEMA came under extreme criticism for its 
     inability to offer assistance and for the prolonged lack of 
     access to resources that caused in the New Orleans area. The 
     public relations fiasco that resulted tarnished not only 
     FEMA's reputation, but also the reputation of the already 
     heavily criticized Bush administration. Many active duty 
     troops were deployed to the area to assist during the 
     recovery period in light of FEMA's failing.
       As a whole, the Gulf Coast region was deeply affected by 
     Hurricane Katrina, physically as well as mentally. New 
     Orleans faced harsh economic conditions and harsh odds as its 
     people began to rebuild, and surrounding states also felt 
     this burden. However, the greatest impact Katrina had on the 
     United States was on our collective psyche. At first, it 
     seemed like another problem stacked on top of the ever 
     present war on terror, but as the worst pain subsided, the 
     country realized that this was, more than it was a tarnish or 
     a natural disaster, an opportunity. Americans from coast to 
     coast were horrified by the state of affairs in New Orleans 
     and poured out their sympathy for those in need. As a nation, 
     we were saddened and strengthened by Katrina, finding fear in 
     the condition of the Gulf Coast and solace in the ability of 
     Americans to unite behind a common goal.

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