Wicker Sees Optimism, Frustration in Katrina Recovery
WICKER SEES OPTIMISM, FRUSTRATION IN KATRINA RECOVERY
By Congressman Roger F. Wicker
December 5, 2005
More than three months after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, there remains a mix of optimism and frustration as recovery efforts continue throughout the region. While the activity level has accelerated and much progress has been made, thousands of Gulf residents still need help desperately to get their lives back on track.
Mississippi's Congressional delegation realizes the role the federal government must play in the recovery, and we have been working on this issue in a bipartisan manner. Legislation already enacted includes:
· Two supplemental appropriations bills totaling $62 billion to enable the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist storm victims, provide for debris removal, and restore public facilities.
· Tax relief to assist homeowners, allow access to retirement accounts without penalty, increase deductions for charitable donations, and aid small businesses.
· A measure to help the Gulf states pay unemployment benefits for the increased number of workers who lost jobs as a result of the hurricane.
We have also been putting together a comprehensive funding package that I hope will be considered within the next two weeks. The money would help local, county, and state officials expedite efforts to restore basic services in the affected communities.
Assistance would be provided to:
· Rebuild roads, water and sewer facilities;
· Get schools operating at full speed;
· Aid the agricultural and forestry sectors;
· Help small businesses reinvest in their communities.
A key element of the recovery is aid for families whose homes were outside the flood zone but still damaged by flooding. I hope the package will include legislation I have offered to make Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding available to flood victims. Under ordinary circumstances, CDBG funds are used to improve housing, water, and sewer services and promote economic activities. There is precedent for using CDBG monies to aid in disaster relief efforts, including the terrorist attacks of 9-11-01 and previous natural disasters. Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran is promoting the same approach in the Senate. Resolving this matter is critical because countless families will be unable to rebuild their homes without federal assistance.
FRUSTRATING BUREAUCRACY
FEMA's cumbersome bureaucratic process continues to be a source of frustration. Our entire Washington delegation has been displeased with FEMA's performance in responding to this disaster. FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have also been slow to give Mississippi companies opportunities to secure prime contracts for the clean-up and recovery operations. We continue to press these agencies to focus their fullest attention on the Gulf region.
Nearly 23,000 travel trailers have been set up for displaced families, and between 200 and 500 trailers are being installed each day. While this effort is being performed at an unprecedented pace, it is little consolation to families who are still without shelter three months after Katrina.
VOLUNTEERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
One bright spot is the work of volunteers from across Mississippi and the nation. There is no way to measure the impact these groups have had on the recovery effort. From the first days of the crisis until today, national relief agencies, churches and other faith-based organizations, school groups, civic clubs, and individuals have been there to help. Many Mississippians have spent time in the disaster area, and some have made multiple trips to serve their neighbors in need.
While day-to-day recovery efforts continue, the Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal is charting a long-term plan. It offers reason for optimism that a private-public partnership and a new vision for the future will enable the region to come back stronger than before.
http://www.house.gov/wicker/Optimism.htm