[Pages H10274-H10276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMENDING HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES
Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the resolution (H. Res. 1429) expressing the sense of the House of
Representatives that the employees of the Department of Homeland
Security, their partners at all levels of government, and the millions
of emergency response providers and law enforcement agents nationwide
should be commended for their dedicated service on the Nation's front
lines in the war against acts of terrorism.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1429
Whereas it has been 7 years since the horrific terrorist
attacks against the United States and its people on September
11, 2001;
Whereas terrorists around the world continue to plot and
plan attacks against the United States and its interests and
foreign allies;
Whereas, as evidenced by a suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem
that killed 22 people and wounded 140 on March 27, 2002, a
car bomb that exploded outside a Marriott Hotel in Jakarta,
Indonesia, on August 5, 2003, killing 10 people and wounding
150, 10 bombs that exploded on 4 commuter trains in Madrid on
March 11, 2004, killing 191 people, a major anti-terrorist
operation by British Police disrupts an alleged bomb plot
targeting multiple airplanes bound for the United States
flying through Heathrow Airport, near London on August 10,
2006, citizens across the country and in the world should
remain vigilant, prepared, and informed;
Whereas during the month of September, the Nation observes
National Preparedness Month which is sponsored by the
Department of Homeland Security, and encourages all citizens
to prepare themselves and their families for possible
emergencies by getting an emergency supply kit that will last
72 hours, making a family emergency plan, being informed, and
getting involved in the community in organizations such as
Citizen Corps, which actively involves citizens in making our
communities and our Nation safer, stronger, and better
prepared;
Whereas acts of terrorism can exact a tragic human toll,
resulting in significant numbers of casualties and disrupting
hundreds of thousands of lives, causing serious damage to our
Nation's critical infrastructure, and inflicting billions of
dollars of costs on both our public and private sectors;
Whereas in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001,
and the continuing grave threat of terrorism, Congress
established the Department of Homeland Security in March
2003, bringing together 22 disparate Federal entities,
enhancing their capabilities with major new divisions
emphasizing terrorism-related information analysis,
infrastructure protection, and science and technology, and
focusing their employees on the critical mission of defending
our Nation against acts of terrorism;
Whereas since its creation, the employees of the Department
of Homeland Security have endeavored to carry out this
mission with commendable dedication, working with other
Federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies and
partners at all levels of Government to help secure our
Nation's borders, airports, seaports, critical
infrastructure, and communities against terrorist attacks;
Whereas our Nation's firefighters, law enforcement
officers, emergency medical personnel, and other first
responders selflessly and repeatedly risk their lives to
fulfill their new mission of helping to prevent, protect
against, and prepare to respond to acts of terrorism, major
disasters, and other emergencies;
Whereas State, local, territorial, and tribal government
officials, the private sector, and ordinary citizens across
the country have been working in cooperation with the
Department of Homeland Security and other Federal Government
agencies to enhance our ability to prevent, deter, protect
against, and prepare to respond to acts of terrorism;
Whereas all people of the United States can assist in
promoting our Nation's overall terrorism and emergency
preparedness by remaining vigilant and alert, reporting
suspicious activity to proper authorities, and preparing
themselves and their families for potential terrorist
attacks; and
Whereas all people of the United States should take the
opportunity during National Preparedness Month in September
2008 to take steps at home, work, and school to enhance their
ability to assist in preventing, protecting against, and
preparing to respond to acts of terrorism: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) commends the public servants of the Department of
Homeland Security and other Federal agencies for their
outstanding contributions to our Nation's homeland security;
(2) salutes the dedication of State, local, territorial,
and tribal government officials, the private sector, and
citizens across the country for their efforts to enhance the
Nation's ability to prevent, deter, protect against, and
prepare to respond to potential acts of terrorism;
(3) expresses the Nation's appreciation for the sacrifices
and commitment of our law enforcement and emergency response
personnel in preventing and preparing to respond to acts of
terrorism;
(4) supports the goals and ideals of National Preparedness
Month as they relate to the threat of terrorism; and
(5) urges the Federal Government, States, localities,
schools, nonprofit organizations, businesses, other entities,
and the people of the United States to observe National
Preparedness Month with appropriate events and activities
that promote citizen and community preparedness to respond to
acts of terrorism.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) and the gentleman from California (Mr.
Daniel E. Lungren) each will control 20 minutes.
[[Page H10275]]
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.
Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1429 was introduced by
Congresswoman Clarke of New York to recognize September as National
Preparedness Month.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the Nation observed the somber
anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and we watched Hurricane
Gustav and Ike batter the gulf coast. Therefore, September is an
appropriate month to commend the men and women of the Department of
Homeland Security and the State and local first responders who form the
first line of defense against these and other threats. I have always
said that you can't have homeland security unless you are prepared to
have hometown security, and that preparedness starts a community at a
time.
This month is a good opportunity for every American to learn about
how they can prepare for all types of emergencies, whether it be a
terrorist attack or a natural disaster. We can start by taking four
little steps: Get an emergency kit; two, develop and communicate with
your family a plan for evacuation and shelter; three, be informed about
the types of emergencies that you are likely to face; and four; get
yourself and your community involved to be better prepared. Better
knowledge is power. We must all do our part to ensure that we learn
what to do before an emergency occurs.
So, Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this House Resolution because I
know firsthand that it is best to be prepared, and not scared.
Let us be clear that the dedicated employees of the Department of
Homeland Security and other Federal agencies, together with State and
local officials and first responders, will do all they can to prepare
for, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism, natural disaster,
and other emergencies. But the American people can play a significant
role by understanding the simple steps they can take to provide for
themselves and their family.
Together, a prepared public and a resourceful and dedicated
Department of Homeland Security can truly anticipate how to respond to
different types of emergencies. In doing so, we will become a more
resilient Nation.
Before I close my remarks, though, I would like to thank
Congresswoman Clarke for introducing the resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DANIEL LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1429, the resolution
commemorating the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11;
also promoting the month of September as National Preparedness Month,
and commending the employees of the Department of Homeland Security and
our Nation's emergency response providers and law enforcement agents.
This September, as we know, marks the fifth annual National
Preparedness Month and the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks
on September 11. H. Res. 1429 is a bipartisan resolution commemorating
this important anniversary in our Nation's history and reminding all
Americans of the importance of emergency preparedness.
While there has not been a terrorist attack on our U.S. soil since
September 11, 2001, it is important to remember that terrorists
continue to plan attacks against this Nation, its interests, and its
allies abroad. It is not by accident that we have not had such a
tragedy. It is, in fact, the result of tremendous work by men and women
in uniform, in our agencies, first responders, the coordination that's
taken place since then, the cooperation we've had with our allies in
many, many other countries.
But we must remain vigilant and ensure that all levels of government,
nonprofit organizations, the private sector, individuals, and
communities continue to prepare for terrorist attacks, natural
disasters, or other emergencies.
Each September, various Department of Homeland Security components,
along with other Federal, State and local agencies, nonprofit
organizations and the private sector take part in events to increase
public awareness and encourage individuals to prepare themselves, their
families, their businesses and their communities for emergencies.
The Ready Campaign, which is within the Office of Public Affairs at
the Department, along with the Citizen Corps Program within the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, helps educate individuals, families
and communities on the steps that they can take to protect their loves
ones in an emergency. For instance, individuals are encouraged to get
an emergency supply kit, make a family emergency plan, and be informed
about different types of emergencies and the appropriate responses
thereto.
Since the Ready Campaign and National Preparedness Month were
initiated in 2004, the effort has received over $703 million in donated
media support. The www.ready.gov Web site has received over 2 billion
hits, with almost 30 million unique visitors to the site. And the
national 1-800 number has received 345,000 calls.
In addition, Ready has partnered with Scholastic to provide emergency
preparedness materials for the classroom to 400,000 teachers, and
recently launched a partnership with Sesame Street to help educate
preschool-age children and their parents on the need to prepare for
emergencies.
This resolution also commends the hard work and dedication of the
Federal, State and local government employees, first responders, the
private sector, and citizens across the country for their efforts to
enhance the Nation's ability to prepare for, protect against, and
respond to acts of terrorism and other emergencies.
Working together, we can continue to protect this country from
terrorists wishing us harm. I urge all Members to join in supporting
this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1945
General Leave
Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from North Carolina?
There was no objection.
Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, with that, I would like to yield 5
minutes to the gentlelady who is a sponsor of this resolution, Ms.
Clarke from New York.
Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of House Resolution
1429, which recognizes September as National Emergency Preparedness
Month. I would like to thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Etheridge) for managing this very important resolution.
This resolution applauds the public servants at the Department of
Homeland Security for their outstanding dedication to securing our
Nation. More importantly, the resolution also encourages citizens to
prepare themselves and their families to respond to emergencies,
whether it's an act of terrorism, a natural disaster or another crisis.
As the sole member of the Committee on Homeland Security who resides
in the City of New York, I am keenly aware that one of the most
important lessons from the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001 and
from Hurricane Katrina is that each and every American must be vigilant
about their preparedness for an emergency.
As we all know, with the recent bombing of the Marriott Hotel in
Pakistan, terrorism is alive and well and continues to be a very real
threat in this world. Likewise, this country has experienced widespread
wildfires in the West, numerous tornadoes in the Southeast,
overwhelming floods in the Midwest, and late this summer the Gulf
States were wracked by Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hannah and most recently
Ike.
The dedicated workers of the Department of Homeland Security and
other Federal agencies successfully coordinated with State and local
officials and the private sector to assist with the pre-positioning of
lifesaving equipment, evacuation efforts and search-and-rescue methods.
Similarly, we saw Members helping their fellow brothers and sisters in
their time of need.
This marks the fifth year that DHS has observed September as the
National Emergency Preparedness Month. In promoting this, DHS has
partnered with over 1,700 organizations, including the American Red
Cross, in its efforts
[[Page H10276]]
to reach out to the public. Since this is National Emergency
Preparedness Month, this is an ideal time for all of us to collectively
prepare for all types emergencies. Among the department's
recommendations to help Americans prepare for emergencies are: Number
one, get a kit. Build a disaster supply kit that includes enough
supplies for each family member for 3 days and remember to check the
kit every 6 months. Number two, make a plan. Every family should
develop, communicate and practice their evacuation or other sheltering.
Number 3, be informed about the type of disasters or emergencies that
may occur where you live, work and/or play and how they can affect you,
your family and community. Number 4, get involved. After preparing
yourself and your family for possible emergencies by getting a kit,
making a plan and being informed, take the next step in getting
involved in preparing your community.
I ask my fellow colleagues to encourage their constituents to visit
the Federal government's Citizen Corps website at www.citizencorps.gov
to learn how we can bring key community figures together to plan for,
mitigate, respond to or recover from an emergency.
I am also happy to note that more than 2,200 State, local, tribal and
territorial governments in all States and U.S. territories have formed
Citizen Corps Councils, and that every day, new councils are formed in
communities around the country.
Before I close my remarks, I would like to thank and express my
gratitude to Homeland Security Chairman Bennie G. Thompson and Ranking
Member Peter King for their support for this resolution and their
leadership on preparedness issues.
Further, I want to thank the subcommittee chairman, Henry Cuellar of
the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response
for sponsoring H.R. 5890, the Citizen and Community Preparedness Act.
Mr. Cuellar has championed the authorization of Citizen Corps, and he,
too, encourages every citizen to get involved to improve their
individual and community's preparedness. Mr. Speaker, I also want to
thank my Republican colleagues for cosponsoring this resolution. After
all, preparedness is not a partisan matter.
In closing, I want to honor all of the sheroes and heroes who
dedicate their lives to keeping Americans safe. I urge the citizens of
this great Nation to visit the website, www.ready.gov so we can all
learn how to be vigilant, alert and prepared for an emergency.
I urge all my colleagues to adopt this resolution.
Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I would urge
support for this bill.
With that, I would yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, as you have heard, H.R. 1429 encourages citizens to
prepare themselves and their families on how to respond to emergencies,
whether it be an act of terror, a natural disaster or other crisis.
This is the fifth year the Department of Homeland Security has
partnered with over 1,700 organizations, including the American Red
Cross, to promote September as National Preparedness Month. With
continuing threats of terrorism and increased frequency and intensity
of natural disasters, Americans should prepare themselves, their
families and their communities.
Everyone should do the four things we talked about. Get an emergency
kit. Prepare and communicate to family and friends their evacuation and
shelter plans. Be informed about the type of emergencies, and get the
family and community involved.
Constituents should be encouraged to visit the following website. You
have heard it twice already, www.ready.gov or <a href='http://www.redcross.org.
'>www.redcross.org.
</a> In closing, H.R. 1429 enjoys broad bipartisan support. I encourage
the adoption of this resolution.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House
Resolution 1429 which applauds the public servants at Department of
Homeland Security for their outstanding dedication to securing our
Nation.
More importantly, House Resolution 1429 encourages citizens to
prepare themselves and their families to respond to emergencies--
whether it is an act of terror, natural disaster and other crisis.
The Department of Homeland Security has partnered with over 1,700
organizations, including the American Red Cross, to promote September
as the National Preparedness Month.
In fact, this is the 5th year that the Department of Homeland
Security has observed September as the National Emergency Preparedness
Month.
As a former volunteer firefighter, I know that lives are saved when
the public takes steps to prepare for the worst.
Likewise, as the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, I want
the people of this Nation to take the necessary steps to prepare
themselves in the event of an emergency.
Constituents should be encouraged to visit the following websites to
get information on how to be prepared for different types of
emergencies: www.ready.gov and <a href='http://www.redcross.org.
'>www.redcross.org.
</a> Among the Department's recommendations to help Americans prepare for
emergencies are:
1. Get a Kit--Build a disaster supplies kit that includes enough
supplies for each family member for three days and remember to check
the kit every six months. Be sure that the kit includes water, food,
medicine, batteries, flashlights, hygiene materials, blankets, etc.
2. Make a Plan--Every family should develop and communicate with each
other their evacuation or sheltering plan. The plan should correspond
to the school, work and community of every member of the family. All
families are encouraged to practice this plan to ensure familiarity
with evacuation or meeting routes, have cell phones charged and have a
charger in the car.
It should be known that at times it may be easier to make a long-
distance phone call than to call across town, so an out-of-town contact
may be in a better position to communicate among separated family
members.
Also every family should have a secure location of important
documents such as, insurance papers, etc.
3. Be informed about the type of disasters or emergencies that may
occur where you live, work and play and how they can affect you, your
family and community. In other words do you live in a place prone to
hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc? Every citizen should also
learn about what to do in the event of a biological, chemical,
explosive, nuclear or radiological attack.
It is important to identify how authorities will notify you and how
you will get important information.
You should learn what you can do to prepare for that emergency as
well as first aid, CPR and disaster training.
Consider sharing what you have learned with your family, neighbors
and friends.
4. Get Involved--After preparing yourself and your family for
possible emergencies by getting a kit, making a plan and being
informed, take the next step and get involved in preparing your
community. The American public should visit the www.citizencorps.com
website to learn about how Citizen Corps brings together community,
emergency and government leaders to involve community members in
emergency preparedness, planning, mitigation, response and recovery.
More than 2,200 state, local, tribal and territorial governments in
all 56 states and U.S. territories have formed Citizen Corps Councils,
and every day new Councils are formed in communities around the
country.
These Councils assist with outreach and educational efforts to the
public; training and exercises that effectively integrate emergency
responders, volunteers with a response role, and the general public;
and volunteer programs that support emergency response services.
I conclude by asking my colleagues to adopt this resolution.
Mr. Etheridge. I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) that the House suspend
the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1429.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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