Danny Davis: “Hurricane Katrina made a devastating impact on Florida and the Gulf Coast states in the last days of August 2005…”

“Hurricane Katrina made a devastating impact on Florida and the Gulf Coast states in the last days of August 2005, followed within weeks by Hurricanes Rita and Wilma. These disasters will long be remembered for disrupting families, changing and ending lives, and forcing Americans to rethink about our preparedness and ability to respond effectively to disasters. Unfortunately, these hurricanes served as a catalyst for changes in federal policy and government management within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency management Agency (FEMA). Most of those changes were included in Title VI of the DHS appropriations legislation for FY2007. It established new leadership positions and requirements within FEMA. Additionally, it brought new missions into FEMA and enhanced the agency's authority by directing the FEMA Administrator to undertake a broad range of activities before and after disasters. Although, Congress has responded to the devastation of the Gulf Coast region by providing billions of dollars in assistance, more resources are needed to expedite the economic recovery in this region. Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague Representative William Jefferson for introducing this legislation and urge the swift passage of this bill.”