Introduction of Homeland Security Relief Corps Act of 2008

INTRODUCTION OF HOMELAND SECURITY RELIEF CORPS ACT OF 2008 -- (Extensions of Remarks - June 26, 2008)

SPEECH OF
HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON
OF MISSISSIPPI
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2008

* Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, last Friday, 121 truckloads of needed Household supplies arrived in the Gulf Coast for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Though these supplies are surely still welcome, they arrived 3 years late.

* Tragically, at the same time that 90,000 ``living kits'' were distributed by FEMA in Louisiana, other Americans, this time in the Midwest, have experienced a trauma of their own, as flood waters rose and levee after levee was breached. Resources-whether human, financial, or equipment-must be made available immediately to the American people in need, whether that need is a result of storms, floods, terrorist attacks, and other emergencies.

* A recent Mason Dixon poll indicates that some residents of hurricane-vulnerable states say they will not evacuate and prefer to weather storms at home. Furthermore, the results of the poll indicate that many residents lack disaster plans and are still misinformed about how to protect themselves and their families during a storm. These results are particularly troubling when we consider how many citizens of the Gulf Coast did not have plans and were forced to accept relocation to toxic trailers.

* The Homeland Security Relief Corps Act of 2008 will ensure that the areas ravaged by Katrina will not go unattended by providing trained workers to engage in actual rebuilding efforts. This bill will assist us in addressing some of the harms caused by Katrina.

* As introduced, the Homeland Security Relief Corps Act will establish a much needed Response and Recovery Corps within the Department of Homeland Security. The Corps members will receive core training in emergency response, post-incident recovery, and rebuilding efforts. Equipped with the knowledge and preparation needed to make the disaster recovery process more efficient, the Corps members will be of tremendous assistance to the ravaged areas.

* With the floods in the Midwest and the other disasters this Nation has seen since Katrina, it is time for citizens to get more involved in disaster response and recovery. This bill provides a path to the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast and provides hope for quicker recovery for residents of other ravaged areas.

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