Contact: Rob Ostrander 202.224.7627 Shana Stribling 202.224.0309
Friday, September 9, 2005

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Senator Kit Bond today joined Missouri Task Force One to hear a first-hand account on Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts.

“We had already seen the phenomenal work you can do in your response to 9/11, almost 4 years ago to the day. Last week we saw it again, as you and your counterparts saved hundreds of lives every hour,” said Bond to the volunteers.

Bond praised Missouri Task Force One for answering the call to duty. Along with other Urban Search and Rescue Teams teams, Missouri Task Force One was positioned in Louisiana before the hurricane struck and on-site helping to immediately recover victims in the disaster’s wake.

Missourians, no strangers to natural disaster, immediately responded to Hurricane Katrina, said Bond. In addition to sending the USAR team, Missouri sent volunteers, supplies and National Guard units to the disaster area. Also, last week Bond teamed up with St. Joseph’s 139th Airlift Wing and Kansas City Children’s Mercy Hospital to bring some of the hurricane’s smallest victims to safety.

Bond has long been a strong supporter of Missouri Task Force One and the nation’s other 28 Urban Search and Rescue Teams (USAR). This summer Bond teamed up with Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) to include $30 million in federal funds for the USAR teams in the Senate-passed 2006 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill.

Bond pointed out that while Missourians thoughts and prayers continue to be with the victims of Hurricane Katrina, there is some good news in the response to the disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has reported that more than 47,000 lives have been saved, 33,000 by the Coast Guard. Also, there more than 40,000 National Guard troops are on the ground, 17,000 active duty military, 7,000 FEMA employees and many volunteers. Bond said 750 shelters in 20 states are now housing more than 235,000 evacuees.

Congress is committed to the disaster recovery as well, passing a $10 billion aid package for Katrina victims last week, and an additional $52 billion requested from the President just yesterday.

“Many in Washington are playing the blame game already. It’s far too premature for that. Now is the time for rescue and recovery. There will be time soon enough for a thorough analysis of what happened during the immediate response and afterwards. Before we begin that analysis, I want to know what you experienced. The armchair analysts in Washington are already talking a lot, but I want to hear from people I trust and who were actually there,” said Bond.