Madeleine Bordallo: “as the waters recede in New Orleans and as the families impacted by Hurricane Katrina attempt to recover, we must now…”

“as the waters recede in New Orleans and as the families impacted by Hurricane Katrina attempt to recover, we must now embark upon the monumental task of helping to rebuild both the infrastructure and vitality of the Gulf Coast communities. We also have begun to reflect on the tragedy, one which many say is one of the worst disasters to strike an American city in our history. The people of Guam would like to express their condolences to the families that have lost loved ones, and to the thousands of people who are now struggling to recover from what can only be described as a humanitarian catastrophe. Families and individuals have been uprooted, homes have been destroyed, and the process of rebuilding will be long and arduous. The communities involved depend upon support from Congress, and we must fully fund every stage of the recovery that is necessary to rebuild homes and lives. We must also ensure that our cities and coastlines are protected as best as possible from perilous storms. The people of Guam know far too well the toll that hurricanes can have upon a population. Located in what is known as ``Typhoon Alley'' in the Pacific Ocean, our island is annually threatened and sometimes pummeled by typhoons that can have winds upwards of 180 miles per hour. These Super Typhoons have the potential for widespread devastation, but Guam is well prepared to withstand these potentially destructive storms.…”