[Pages S5007-S5008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 357--RECOGNIZING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF HURRICANE 
                                KATRINA

  Mr. CASSIDY (for himself and Mr. Kennedy) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 357

       Whereas, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina inflicted 
     catastrophic damage as a Category 3 hurricane and caused 
     damage exceeding $200,000,000,000 in the States of Louisiana, 
     Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, making it one of the 
     costliest storms in the history of the United States;
       Whereas Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest 
     hurricanes in the history of the United States, with a 
     recorded 1,822 fatalities, including 1,577 in Louisiana, 238 
     in Mississippi, 14 in Florida, 2 in Georgia, and 2 in 
     Alabama, according to the National Hurricane Center;
       Whereas Hurricane Katrina's storm surge, which exceeded 20 
     feet in some places, caused 53 breaches in the levee system 
     of New Orleans, and the levee failure resulted in the 
     flooding of 80 percent of the city;
       Whereas more than 1,200,000 individuals were under some 
     type of evacuation order, including the first mandatory 
     evacuation in the history of New Orleans;
       Whereas non-emergency medical employees sheltered in place 
     at hospitals to provide care and help move patients to higher 
     ground;
       Whereas tens of thousands of homes and businesses from 
     Louisiana to Florida were destroyed by the flooding;
       Whereas 3,000,000 individuals were left without electricity 
     for weeks;
       Whereas major highways were destroyed, including the 
     Interstate 10 Twin Span Bridge connecting the cities of New 
     Orleans and Slidell in Louisiana;
       Whereas the Louisiana Superdome sheltered 26,000 evacuees 
     and suffered roof leaks and other significant damage from 
     strong winds;
       Whereas Hurricane Katrina affected every part of Louisiana, 
     and thousands of survivors sheltered in the Baton Rouge River 
     Center, the Bossier City Civic Center, and the Monroe Civic 
     Center, and additionally, many evacuees sheltered with 
     friends and family;
       Whereas, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, 
     medical residents and faculty, as well as grassroots 
     organizations, quickly mobilized to provide immediate health 
     care services to hurricane evacuees;
       Whereas neighboring cities and States took in thousands of 
     displaced residents and provided medical care and shelter at 
     make-shift hospitals, such as the Katrina Clinic at the 
     Astrodome in Houston, Texas;
       Whereas the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, the 
     Salvation Army, America's Second Harvest (now known as 
     Feeding America), Emergency Communities, Catholic Charities, 
     Pastors Resource Council Compassion, Southern Baptist 
     Disaster Relief, and other charitable organizations provided 
     crucial food, water, and hygiene products to victims;
       Whereas more than 70 countries and international 
     organizations pledged monetary donations in excess of 
     $854,000,000;
       Whereas improved levees are an essential aspect of 
     providing Category 5-equivalent hurricane protection;
       Whereas, in 2009, the Army Corps of Engineers delivered a 
     plan for providing coastal Louisiana with Category 5-
     equivalent hurricane protection;
       Whereas, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, more than 
     $15,000,000,000 was invested into Louisiana's levee system, 
     and the Army Corps of Engineers constructed stronger levees 
     by replacing failed I-Wall design floodwalls with stronger T-
     wall or L-wall design floodwalls and reinforced the most 
     vulnerable undamaged I-Walls and surge protection closures;
       Whereas the investment in Louisiana's levees paid off, and 
     Louisiana's levees have held through multiple storms since 
     their improvement following Hurricane Katrina;
       Whereas Louisiana has improved evacuation routes, hardened 
     its electric grid, and secured coastal resiliency grants and 
     flood mitigation assistance grants to be better prepared for 
     the next major hurricane;
       Whereas enhancing flood mitigation measures and ensuring 
     the affordability of flood insurance will strengthen the 
     resiliency of vulnerable communities and the broader Gulf 
     Coast region, in particular; and
       Whereas the resiliency of the residents of New Orleans and 
     the people of Louisiana allowed their culture, heritage, and 
     identity to endure: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates the victims of Hurricane Katrina;
       (2) commends the courageous efforts of those who assisted 
     in the recovery efforts;
       (3) recognizes the contributions of the communities in 
     Louisiana and across the United States for providing shelter 
     and assistance to survivors; and
       (4) reaffirms its commitment to protecting the Gulf Coast 
     region from future storms.

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