Obama Amendment Requiring Evacuation Plans to Account for Society's Most Vulnerable Passes Senate Committee Unanimously
Thursday, September 22, 2005
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Washington Contact: Robert Gibbs or Tommy Vietor, (202) 228-5511
Illinois Contact: Julian Green, (312) 886-3506
Date: September 22, 2005
Obama Amendment Requiring Evacuation Plans to Account for Society's Most Vulnerable Passes Senate Committee Unanimously
WASHINGTON - Legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) 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 passed the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs today unanimously.
"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. I believe the bill's unanimous passage by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs shows the Senate's commitment to helping those in our country who need it the most."