Hurricane Katrina

HURRICANE KATRINA -- (House of Representatives - September 06, 2005)

(Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to express, first and foremost, my sincere sympathy for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama are dealing with a catastrophic event; and they deserve whatever it takes from the Federal Government. The mismanagement of the Federal response to this disaster is beyond comprehension. The victims and the rest of America deserve answers to their questions, not excuses, because there is no excuse for the slow Federal reaction. There is no excuse for the lack of preparedness. There is no excuse for this absence of leadership.

Why were Federal funding requests by Louisiana for flood control perennially denied? Why was the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee construction slashed by a record $72 million? Why was the head of FEMA, Michael Brown, hired despite having zero background in disaster management and was actually fired from his previous job for mismanagement?

It is clear now that we need to revamp FEMA, and that starts with firing Michael Brown as director who has been an absolute embarrassment. Louisiana Governor Blanco has hired former FEMA director James Lee Witt to direct Katrina recovery efforts. I encourage President Bush to follow Governor Blanco's lead and to hire someone new, this time based on qualifications, not political patronage.

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Government needs to get the best people possible working on the rescue, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. Anything less is unacceptable.

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