Barack Obama

Obama Says Disaster Evacuation Plans Must Account for Society’s Most Vulnerable

Monday, September 12, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington Contact: Robert Gibbs or Tommy Vietor, (202) 228-5511
Illinois Contact: Julian Green, (312) 886-3506
Date: September 12, 2005

Obama Says Disaster Evacuation Plans Must Account for Society's Most Vulnerable


WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today introduced legislation that would require states to prepare disaster evacuation plans that account for the needs of society's most vulnerable members, including the poor, the disabled and the elderly.

"It is the duty of our government to keep all Americans safe in times of emergency, especially those in our society who are not always able to help themselves," said Obama. "But in the days and weeks since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, it has become overwhelmingly clear that this was not the case. The government did not adequately prepare to evacuate those who could not afford a car, did not adequately prepare to evacuate the elderly, and did not adequately prepare to evacuate those who were too sick to leave their beds."

It has been widely reported that the Hurricane Katrina evacuation plan did not adequately account for the special needs of low-income populations. Obama's bill would require the Department of Homeland Security to mandate that each state include plans for the evacuation of individuals with special needs during times of emergency. These people would include low-income individuals and families, the elderly, the disabled, and those who cannot speak English. The plans must consider how these people would be evacuated out of the emergency area but also how the states would provide shelter, food, and water to these people once they are evacuated. Obama's bill would require that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security report each state's evacuation plan within one year after the legislation becomes law.

"What we saw in the Gulf Coast cannot be repeated," said Obama. "We may not be able to control the wrath of Mother Nature, but we can control how we prepare for natural disasters."

The bill is cosponsored by Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) and Carl Levin (D-MI).

Obama was also joined by 18 other Senate Democrats in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asking that the Secretary ensure all evacuation plans include consideration for those in our society who are the most vulnerable. Please find full text of the letter below.

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September 9, 2005


The Honorable Michael Chertoff
Secretary
Department of Homeland Security
Nebraska Avenue Center, NW
Washington, DC 20528
Dear Secretary Chertoff:

One of the most striking aspects of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is that the majority of stranded victims were our society's most vulnerable members - low-income families, the elderly, the homeless, the disabled, or non-English speaking individuals. Many did not own cars. Many believed themselves unable to flee the city, unable to forego the income from missed work, unable to incur the expenses of travel, food, and lodging. Some may have misunderstood the severity of the warnings, if they heard the warnings at all. Some may have needed help that was unavailable. Whatever the reason, they were not evacuated and we have seen the horrific results.

It appears that certain assumptions were made in planning and preparing for the worst case scenario in New Orleans. After all, most of those who could afford to evacuate managed to do so. They drove out of town and checked into hotels or stayed with friends and family. But what about the thousands of people left behind because they had special needs?

Our charge as public servants is to worry about all of the people. We are troubled that our emergency response and disaster plans were apparently inadequate for large segments of the Gulf Coast population. We wonder whether the plans in other regions are similarly inadequate. Perfect evacuation planning is obviously impractical, but greater advance preparation can ensure that the most vulnerable are not simply forgotten or ignored.

We urge you to develop a process by which all emergency planning efforts address the unique challenges of evacuating and/or delivering emergency services to people with special needs. Questions that the Department needs to address include:

• Is there a transportation strategy for those without private vehicles, or funds for alternative private travel?
• Is there a temporary relocation strategy for those who cannot afford hotels or who have no nearby relatives with whom to reside?
• Are there adequate stockpiles of food, water, and medicine accessible to low income and special needs communities, or plans for immediate delivery?
• Do emergency professionals have the training and equipment required to assist people with mental or physical disabilities?
• Is there a strategy for ensuring that the millions of unauthorized immigrants in the country participate in evacuations free from fear of incarceration or deportation?
• Is there an adequate communication strategy for those without sufficient English or reading ability, or for the visually and hearing impaired?

Communities with special needs may be more challenging to accommodate, but they are every bit as important to protect and serve in the event of an emergency. And though we cannot condone unauthorized immigration, we cannot have this population evading law enforcement during a crisis.

We request that you provide information to us on the steps that the Department and its subsidiary agencies are taking to ensure that emergency planning at all levels is improved in this important way.

Thank you for your attention to this matter,

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Barack Obama