Supporting the Goals and Ideals of National Preparedness Month

SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH -- (House of Representatives - September 22, 2004)

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 489) supporting the goals and ideals of National Preparedness Month.

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, a year after the Department of Homeland Security began its ad campaign to educate the American people on how to prepare for a terrorist attack, a USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll published in March found that most Americans have not heeded the government's advice by stocking up on food and water, formulating a plan to contact family members and identifying a "safe room" in their homes.

This statistic is very troubling, because it demonstrates that the government has not done an adequate job in communicating how important it is to be prepared in the event of an emergency or terrorist attack. Being prepared could mean the difference between life and death.

Establishing a National Preparedness Month will focus the public's attention on emergency preparedness and help to resolve issues people may have, such as where to go and how to contact family members during an emergency.

As elected officials, we have a responsibility to help protect and to educate our constituents about the threats facing our Nation. H. Con. Res. 489 would help us to do exactly that.

There is no such thing as a perfect plan to protect the American people from an attack, but we can work to make our plan as perfect as possible. While the poll suggests that Americans are not as prepared as we should be, it does serve as a wake-up call.

So I urge my colleagues to take advantage of this opportunity to vote in favor of H. Con. Res. 489 and to help make sure that we are as prepared as a nation as we can possibly be.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.