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Hurricane Katrina’s Aftermath
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September 9, 2005
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This week, my colleagues and I returned to our nation’s capital after
the August District Work Period. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
and what is arguably the worst natural disaster in our nation’s history,
much of the business at hand focused on ways to assist hurricane victims
and to ensure the United States is better equipped to deal with disasters
of such magnitude. Congress has allocated $62.3 billion for Emergency
Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief in the vast 90,000 square
mile region affected by Hurricane Katrina.
In Arkansas alone, there are estimated to be more than 50,000 people
– our very own neighbors from Mississippi and Louisiana - who evacuated
their homes and are staying with family and friends, and at hotels, churches,
church camps, and convention centers. Perhaps most remarkably, families
throughout Arkansas have opened their homes and provided hospitality to
perfect strangers who have nowhere else to turn.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which solely exists
to help the nation prepare for and recover from significant catastrophes,
failed to take immediate action following Hurricane Katrina, and needlessly
jeopardized the lives and created intolerable conditions for untold thousands
of men, women and children. Part of the reason for FEMA's slow response
to victims of Hurricane Katrina is that it currently exists under the complicated
and bureaucratic structure of the Department of Homeland Security. When
FEMA was a stand-alone agency and reported directly to the President, it
was able to respond to disasters in a much more efficient and timely manner.
By restoring FEMA to its status as an independent agency, our nation will
undoubtedly be better prepared to handle natural disasters of catastrophic
nature in the future.
This week, I co-sponsored legislation which would remove FEMA from
the Department of Homeland Security. The legislation, introduced
by Congressman John Dingell (MI-15), mandates that the Director of FEMA
be a cabinet-level official, report directly to the President, and establishes
two Deputy Directors within FEMA, one to focus on natural disasters and
one for terrorism related disasters.
As I traveled throughout the rural Fourth Congressional District of
Arkansas in the days following Hurricane Katrina, I witnessed firsthand
already inflated gas prices jump from $2.45 to $3.25 overnight. In
an effort to address these outrageous gas prices, the House Committee on
Energy and Commerce, of which I am a member, held a hearing entitled, “Recovering
from Hurricane Katrina.” Additionally, I have written a letter to
the Federal Trade Commission requesting the FTC conduct an immediate investigation
of the status of our nation's oil companies and refineries, how the devastation
of Hurricane Katrina has impacted our domestic oil industry, and what can
be done to ensure that climbing gas prices are not a result of unfair price
gouging. Price gouging following such a catastrophic event is intolerable
and must be investigated.
As our nation struggles to recoup from the devastation to our Gulf
States, I will work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure
our nation is prepared for future catastrophes on American soil. I urge
you to visit my website, www.house.gov/ross and click on hot topics for
information regarding the ongoing relief and recovery efforts for our southern
neighbors. |
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