Washington, DC – Yesterday, Congressman Al Green (TX-9) joined Rep. Mike Honda (CA-15), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), at a briefing to highlight the current challenges faced by Asian Americans devastated by Hurricane Katrina.  “It is important to have a discussion on the problems faced by the Asian American community in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina because much help is still needed,” Green explained.

The briefing, entitled Hurricane Katrina and the Asian American Community, was organized in collaboration with the National Council on Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA) and the National Alliance on Vietnamese American Service Agencies (NAVASA).  NCAPA is a coalition of twenty-one Asian Pacific American organizations nation-wide that serves to address the needs of one of our country’s fastest growing racial and ethnic populations.  Both organizations have been instrumental in serving the Vietnamese survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

Green, whose congressional district is twelve percent Asian American, toured local shelters and visited with community leaders to assess the needs of those affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. “Thousands of Vietnamese and other Asian-Pacific Americans have lost their homes and their livelihoods. But out of every tragedy comes the opportunity for each and every person to show his or her humanity through acts of compassion. I could not be more proud that the people of the 9th District and the City of Houston have over the past weeks shown that diversity is our strength,” said Green.

In his address Green praised the exceptional work of the City of Houston and Harris County officials but acknowledged that many of those who did not arrive at the Astrodome were without essential resources. After witnessing the demand first-hand, Congressman Green and representatives from Boat People SOS immediately held a meeting with a local Red Cross representative to stress the need for medical assistance for the Asian community which resulted in a Red Cross Triage health unit being delivered to the Hong Kong City Mall.

Green has also had a Vietnamese speaking staffer on-site at the mall to help those affected by the hurricane cut through the red tape and access government resources. Relief workers have reported that one of the major challenges is their inability to secure vital personal information due to language difficulties. Following the Hurricane Rita evacuation, Green opened his district office from 8am-8pm to assist those residents returning back to the Houston region.

Congressman Green pointed out that many of those affected by Katrina are immigrants and some are undocumented. He went on to add that, “these survivors are our brothers and sisters and I believe that people who need help should be helped whether they are citizens or not. I want to do all that I can to ensure that they get the assistance they need.”

Louisiana was home to over 50,000 Asian Americans, of which more than half were Vietnamese.  An estimated 10,000 Vietnamese evacuees relocated to Houston, many of whom were housed in Green’s Congressional District. Many in the larger Asian community were also affected by the hurricane including Chinese, Filipino, Bangladeshi and Korean Americans.

Before closing, Green recognized the work of several local Houston non-profit organizations that played a pivotal role in relief efforts such as, the Boat People SOS, the Vietnamese Student Association at the University of Houston and the Asian Family Service Agency.