Second Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act To Meet Immediate Needs Arising from the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, 2005
SECOND EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT TO MEET IMMEDIATE NEEDS ARISING FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF HURRICANE KATRINA, 2005 -- (House of Representatives - September 08, 2005)
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Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, the events we have witnessed during the past 2 weeks on the gulf coast have been nothing short of tragic. Never in my life could I have imagined the scale of devastation which has come to pass in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
The endless stream of video on national television networks and cable stations has provided us with images that until recently we had only seen in devastated Third World countries in other parts of the world.
My district in south Alabama was severely impacted by this monstrous storm. In some areas, such as Bayou La Batre and Dauphin Island, entire neighborhoods and businesses have simply been washed away. As horrific as this impact has been on my constituents, it is only a small part of the overwhelming destruction covering 90,000 square miles along America's gulf coast.
Ninety thousand square miles. To put that in perspective, in the area commonly known as Ground Zero in New York City affected by the terrorists on September 11, it totaled just 16 acres.
As everyone in this Chamber is aware, particularly our friends in Louisiana and Mississippi, the recovery time facing us will be long and difficult. It will require determination, strength of mind, spirit and body; and it will require a sense of unity.
In the days since the storm, we have seen all of these qualities in great abundance, in the people doing such large things as providing housing, jobs and hot meals for displaced families, and those doing such small things as providing a hug to someone in need.
But this recovery will also require one other thing. It will require a tremendous amount of funding. The emergency supplemental measure under consideration here today will provide much-needed funding from local, State, and Federal agencies to continue the seemingly insurmountable task of rebuilding lives, communities, and States.
It is difficult to know what the final cost will be in rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. However, the $10.5 billion in emergency funding approved by this body last week was a good start, and the $51.8 billion measure we are considering today will provide even more vital funding for the rebuilding of America's gulf coast.
I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) for his leadership in this very difficult, yet important, matter. On behalf of my home State of Alabama, I want to especially thank President Bush for his assistance to the impacted region and for his tremendous display of support to those affected by this storm. I am also most grateful to the leadership of this House for responding so rapidly to the great challenges that this emergency funding will help address.
Let me close by urging my colleagues to support this measure and, in so doing, show their support and compassion for the millions of women, men and children impacted in countless ways, both great and small, by this storm. Hope is something Americans should never lose. Let us, by both our words and actions, continue to provide that hope.
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