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THE ROLE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 

HOMELAND SECURITY IN GULF COAST 

REBUILDING AND RECOVERY EFFORTS 

FULL HEARING 

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

MAY 22, 2007 

Serial No. 110–39 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoaccess.go/congress/index.html 


Congress.#13
COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY 

BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi, Chairman 

LORETTA SANCHEZ, California, 

EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts 

NORMAN D. DICKS, Washington 

JANE HARMAN, California 

PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon 

NITA M. LOWEY, New York 

ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of 

Columbia 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

SHEILA JACKSON-LEE, Texas 

DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN, U.S. Virgin 

Islands 

BOB ETHERIDGE, North Carolina 

JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island 

HENRY CUELLAR, Texas 

CHRISTOPHER P. CARNEY, Pennsylvania 

YVETTE D. CLARKE, New York 

AL GREEN, Texas 

ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado 

PETER T. KING, New York 

LAMAR SMITH, Texas 

CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut 

MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana 

TOM DAVIS, Virginia 

DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California 

MIKE ROGERS, Alabama 

BOBBY JINDAL, Louisiana 

DAVID G. REICHERT, Washington 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania 

GINNY BROWN-WAITE, Florida 

MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee 

GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida 

DAVID DAVIS, Tennessee 

JESSICA HERRERA-FLANIGAN, Staff Director & General Counsel 

ROSALINE COHEN, Chief Counsel 

MICHAEL TWINCHEK, Chief Clerk 

ROBERT O’CONNOR, Minority Staff Director 

(II) 

(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

STATEMENTS 

The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson, a Representative in Congress From 

the State of Mississippi, and Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 1 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 2 

The Honorable Peter T. King, a Representative in Congress From the State 

of New York, Ranking Member, Committee on Homeland Security ............... 48 

The Honorable Christopher P. Carney, a Representative in Congress From 

the State of Pennsylvania .................................................................................... 43 

The Honorable Donna M. Christensen, a Representative in Congress From 

the U.S. Virgin Islands ........................................................................................ 50 

The Honorable Charles W. Dent, a Representative in Congress From the 

State of Pennsylvania .......................................................................................... 37 

The Honorable Bob Etheridge, a Representative in Congress From the State 

of North Carolina ................................................................................................. 38 

The Honorable Al Green, a Representative in Congress From the State of 

Texas ..................................................................................................................... 46 

The Honorable Bobby Jindal, a Representative in Congress From the State 

Louisiana .............................................................................................................. 59 

The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, a Representative in Congress From the 

State of Texas ....................................................................................................... 52 

The Honorable Nita M. Lowey, a Representative in Congress From the State 

of New York .......................................................................................................... 48 

The Honorable David G. Reichert, a Representative in Congress From the 

State of Washington ............................................................................................. 42 

The Honorable Ginny Brown-Waite, a Representative in Congress From the 

State of Florida ..................................................................................................... 3 

WITNESSES

Ms. Lezli Baskerville, Esq., President and CO, National Association for Equal 

Opportunity in Higher Education: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 17 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 19 

Mr. John J. Castellani, President, Business Roundtable: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 4 

Prepared Staement .............................................................................................. 6 

Mr. Jeff Johnson, President and CEO, Truth is Power: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 32 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 33 

Mr. Bryan McDonald, Director, Office of Recovery and Renewal, State of 

Mississippi: 

Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 25 

Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 27 

APPENDIX

Additional Questions and Responses: 

Responses from Mr. John J. Castellani .............................................................. 63 

Responses from Mr. Bryan McDonald ................................................................ 65 

(1) 

THE ROLE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF 

HOMELAND SECURITY IN GULF COAST 

REBUILDING AND RECOVERY EFFORTS 

Tuesday, May 22, 2007 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY, 

Washington, DC. 

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:10 a.m., in room 311, 

Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Bennie G. Thompson [chairman of the committee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives Thompson, DeFazio, Lowey, Jackson 

Lee, Christensen, Etheridge, Carney, Clarke, Green, Perlmutter, 

King, Lungren, Jindal, Reichert, McCaul, Dent and Brown-Waite. 

Chairman THOMPSON. The committee is meeting today to receive 

testimony on the role of Department of Homeland Security in the 

gulf coast rebuilding and recovery efforts. 

We are quickly approaching the 2-year anniversary of the Hurricane Katrina, and it has been over a year since Congress authorized the bulk of its rebuilding aid for the region. The status of the 

affected gulf coast region is not encouraging. More than 350,000 

homes were destroyed and another 140,000 or so sustained major 

damage, primarily in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. By one 

estimate, more than a million homes were damaged in Katrina, 

Rita, and Wilma. 

In New Orleans alone, the U.S. Corps of Engineers executed an 

average of 360 residential demolitions a month in 2006 but, in 

2007, to date is still executing an average of 150 a month. As of 

July1, 2006, the U.S. Bureau of Census estimated only that about 

three-quarters of the pre-storm population has been restored to the 

New Orleans metropolitan region. School enrollment has continued 

to be far below storm levels. Public transportation recovery has 

been limited, with less than half of all routes open in New Orleans 

and less than one in five pre-Katrina busses operational. The labor 

force is only three-quarters of pre-storm levels in the New Orleans 

metro area. 

Many problems remain in the region, and for that reason, there 

is much work left to be done. 

The Federal Government’s response to Katrina varied. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided housing, rentals and 

trailers to more than 700,000 persons, though only one-fifth of the 

trailers requested by Orleans Parish was provided. FEMA also furnished hotel rooms through February 7th, 2006, for some of the 

new homeless. 

2 

In early September of 2005, Congress authorized 62,000 and $3 

billion for Katrina and Rita victim assistance. 

There have been numerous and bitter criticisms of the Federal 

response. In one of the most sobering ones, the Government Accountability Office said that Federal programs were in some ways 

flexible but sometimes not well coordinated and were not well coordinated with State governments. 

Non-governmental organizations responded promptly to citizens 

impacted by Katrina. The American Red Cross, Southern Baptist 

Convention, Salvation Army, Common Ground Collective and a 

number of others provided victims with food and water, raising 

more than $4 billion in donations from the public. 

There are a number of other people who have participated in 

that, and so we will continue to include them in the record, but we 

have a number of witnesses here today who will give testimony to 

what is happening in the area. I am confident that they will share 

with us their experience and look forward to their testimony. 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE BENNIE G. THOMPSON, CHAIRMAN, 

COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY

We are quickly approaching the tow year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and 

it has been over a year since Congress authorized the bulk of its rebuilding aid for 

the region. 

The status of the affected Gulf Coast region is not encouraging. More than 

350,000 homes were destroyed, and another 140,000 or so sustained major damage, 

primarily in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. By one estimate, more than a 

million homes were damaged in Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. 

In New Orleans alone, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers executed an average of 

360 residential demolitions a month in 2006, but in 2007 to date it still is executing 

an average of 150 a month. as of July 1, 2006, the U.S. Bureau of the Census estimated only about three-quarters of the pre-storm population had been restored to 

the New Orleans metropolitan region. School enrollment has continued to be far 

below before-storm levels. Public transportation recovery has been limited, with less 

than half of all routes open in New Orleans and less than one in five pre-Katrina 

buses operational. The labor force is only three-quarters of pre-storm levels in the 

New Orleans metro area. Many problems remain in the region and for that reason 

there is much work left to be done. 

The Federal Government’s response to Katrina varied. The Federal Emergency 

Management Agency provided housing—in rentals and trailers—to more than 

700,000 persons, though only one-fifth of the trailers requested for Orleans Parish 

were supplied. FEMA also furnished hotel room through February 7, 2006 for some 

of the newly homeless. In early September of 2005, Congress authorized $62.3 billion for Katrina and Rita victim assistance. 

There have been numerous and bitter criticisms of the Federal response. In one 

the most sober ones, the Government Accountability Office said that Federal programs were in some ways flexible, but were sometimes not well-coordinated, and 

were not well-coordinated with State Governments. 

Non-governmental organizations responded promptly to citizens impacted by 

Katrina. 

The American Red Cross, Southern Baptist Association, Salvation Army, Oxfam, 

Common Ground Collective, and a number of others provided victims with food and 

water, raising more than $4 billion in donations from the public. 

The Amateur Radio Emergency Services provided emergency communications for 

all levels of Government officials. Many corporations provided additional donations 

and direct service. Significantly, the Salvation Army immediately mobilized 178 

feeding units and 11 field kitchens to serve more than 5.7 million hot meals and 

8.3 million sandwiches and associated snacks and drinks. 

The Katrina rebuilding process presents an earnest opportunity to set partisan 

politics aside and work towards real solutions for the hurricane victims. Nineteen 

months later, it is high time to provide the attention necessary to Katrina. 

This Congress has been working diligently to provide legislative solutions to address the needs of the Gulf Coast residents. Congresswoman Lofgren and I have disVerDate Nov 24 2008 07:45 Jul 06, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\110-HRGS\110-39\48914.TXT HSEC PsN: DIANE
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cussed how a Civilian Conservation Corps is needed for the Gulf Coast at this stage 

of recovery. 

I grew up on a street that was created as a result of the WPA, just like millions 

of other Americans. The CCC was critical to building our nation during the New 

Deal. We need something similar for the Gulf Coast region. 

I am confident that the Department, through the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding should serve as the lead facilitator for a Civilian 

Disaster Recovery Corps. 

If we continue to develop public-private partnerships and recognize the critical 

role played by state and local governments, the Gulf Coast will recover. The Gulf 

Coast will be rebuilt. The Gulf Coast will be revitalized. And Gulf Coast residents 

will return. 

Mr. THOMPSON. The Chair now recognizes the ranking member, 

Ms. Brown-Waite, of the committee for 5 minutes for an opening 

statement. 

Ms. BROWN-WAITE. I thank the chairman very much, and I certainly thank the witnesses here today. 

It has been nearly 21 months since Hurricane Katrina wreaked 

havoc on the gulf coast of our country. The destruction was catastrophic, and many lives and families were torn apart. In the aftermath of one of the most severe and costliest disasters in our country, Congress acted quickly to address the devastation and to assist 

the victims of Katrina. To date, Congress has appropriated nearly 

$118 billion for disaster recovery and rebuilding, more money than 

has ever been appropriated for a natural or man-made disaster, including the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the devastating Northridge 

Earthquake in California in 1994. 

Understanding the enormity and severity of the devastation to 

the region and the consequences to the Nation, President Bush directed the establishment of a coordinator of Federal support for the 

recovery and rebuilding of the gulf coast region within the Department of Homeland Security. The Federal coordinator promotes and 

facilitates the Federal Government’s role in providing effective, integrated and fiscally responsible support from across the Federal 

Government and relevant stakeholders, including State and local 

governments, the private sector, and community organizations in 

the recovery of the gulf coast region. The Federal coordinator works 

closely with the States and local governments to identify and 

prioritize the needs of the region and service as the region’s liaison 

to the leadership in Washington. 

There certainly is no denial that the pace of recovery in the gulf 

coast region has been going slow. A lot of assistance appropriated 

by Congress is caught in the bureaucratic red tape delaying the rebuilding and recovery efforts. 

While the State and local government of Louisiana and Mississippi are tirelessly focusing on the rebuilding of their regions, 

they also are in direct contact with the Federal Government which 

is working to address their needs. The Federal Government must 

continue to facilitate the difficult rebuilding process and work to 

identify and remedy the bureaucratic hurdles preventing a faster 

pace of recovery. The Federal Government must also continue to be 

a steadfast partner in promoting the ideas and solutions of the private sector and the many community organizations vested in this 

process. 

I personally want to thank all of the witnesses for being here 

today, and I also want to highlight the fine job that the State of 

4 

Mississippi is doing through its Office of Recovery and Renewal 

under the leadership of Governor Haley Barbour. 

It is my hope that Mississippi and Louisiana are not only working with the Federal Government and outside groups but that they 

also are working with each other on common issues and joint goals 

for the region. 

Coming from Florida as I do, we have had far too much experience with hurricanes and the devastation that followed the hurricanes. Every Floridian who saw the devastation on TV that was 

happening as a result of Hurricane Katrina, their hearts went out. 

They opened up their wallets, because they know there but for the 

grace of God could have been also the State of Florida. 

I look forward to hearing the testimony of all of our witnesses, 

and I yield back the balance of my time. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you very much. 

Other members of the committee are reminded that, per committee rules, opening statements may be submitted for the record. 

Chairman THOMPSON. I would like to welcome our witnesses here 

today. 

Our first witness, Mr. John Castellani, is President of the Business Roundtable, an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. corporations. 

Our second witness, Ms. Lezli Baskerville, is the first female 

President and CEO of the National Association of Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, NAFEO, the only national membership 

advocacy and capacity building association for all of the Nation’s 

105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities and emerging Predominantly Black Institutions. 

Our third witness, Mr. Bryan McDonald, is the Director of the 

Mississippi Governor’s Office of Recovery and Renewal. He leads 

the team charge coordinating the State’s Katrina recovery efforts. 

Our fourth witness, Mr. Jeff Johnson, is a correspondent for 

Black Entertainment Television and social activist. He also serves 

as the President and CEO for Truth is Power, which specializes in 

leadership and curriculum development, media strategy, and social 

branding. 

We would like to welcome each of you here to this committee 

meeting. 

Without objection, the witnesses’ full statements will be inserted 

in the record. 

Chairman THOMPSON. I now ask each witness to summarize his 

or her statement for 5 minutes, beginning with Mr. Castellani. 

STATEMENT OF JOHN J. CASTELLANI, PRESIDENT, BUSINESS 

ROUNDTABLE 

Mr. CASTELLANI. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the 

committee. 

On behalf of the Business Roundtable and our members, I would 

like to thank the committee for this opportunity to talk with you 

today about the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative and 

the GREAT campaign. 

The Business Roundtable, as the chairman said, is an association 

of chief executive officers of the leading U.S. companies; and collecVerDate Nov 24 2008 07:45 Jul 06, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 H:\DOCS\110-HRGS\110-39\48914.TXT HSEC PsN: DIANE
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tively they represent over $4.5 trillion dollars in annual revenues 

and employ more than 10 million people. 

We are committed to advocating public policies that ensure vigorous economic growth, a dynamic global economy and a welltrained and productive U.S. workforce that is essential for future 

competitiveness. That focus on our national economy, an ability to 

identify major problems that require a broad coalition to solve and 

a willingness to lead, resulted in the decisions to establish two programs that have helped the gulf region following the devastating 

hurricanes in 2005. 

I wanted to first mention our Partnership for Disaster Response 

Task Force, which is working to improve and coordinate the private 

sector response to catastrophes. We launched the partnership in 

May of 2005 following the tsunami in Indonesia, and it was a great 

help in responding to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita later that year. 

But the Roundtable CEOs saw another ongoing need during the 

efforts to rebuild the gulf coast region. Despite the unprecedented 

national response to the devastation of the hurricanes, it was clear 

that the gulf coast needed a significant number of additional construction workers to support reconstruction. 

We developed the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative 

to recruit and train up to 20,000 new construction craft workers for 

the gulf coast region by the end of 2009. Business Roundtable companies and affiliated partners have committed up to $5 million in 

cash and in-kind services to fund the initiative, and this is in addition to the more than $360 million in cash and in-kind donations 

that Roundtable companies contributed to support immediate relief 

efforts for the hurricanes. 

Participant enroll in a free skills course which provides intensive 

training to prepare them for entry level construction jobs and helps 

them develop a career in the construction industry. They receive 

free training on topics such as basic safety, hand tools, power tools, 

blueprint reading and basic rigging. Currently, the training courses 

are offered at local community and technical schools and other facilities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas; and we are looking to 

expand into other States. 

Now, let me emphasize that this initiative for possible actions in 

the gulf coast is really a true partnership that involves Federal, 

State and local government agencies, businesses, community organizations, educational institutions and construction trade groups 

and associations. 

The U.S. Department of Labor has been an important partner in 

this effort, as have both Louisiana and Mississippi, and received 

funds through the Pathways to Construction Program and the National Emergency Grants. 

We have also worked closely with the Office of Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, the State legislators, the Governor’s offices and the numerous State agencies in Louisiana and 

Mississippi. 

The success of the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative 

is due to the support of a large number of active partners from the 

public and private sectors. We are also working hard to attract people to the available construction training classes. The initiative has 

developed the Gulf Rebuild Education Achievement and Training, 

6 

or GREAT, campaign to raise awareness of the training and to recruit participants. 

The Initiative has a Web site that contains information about the 

Initiative and how to sign up for training. 

The Initiative also operates a 24/7 toll-free call center for detailed information and assistance in signing up for upcoming training classes. 

Marketing has also included print ads, billboards, job fairs, community events, and radio advertisements; and we are working hard 

to spread the word about this training. 

We are also excited about the progress since the Gulf Coast 

Workforce Initiative was announced last summer. By the end of 

April, the Initiative has trained more than 5,000 workers in needed 

construction skills; and, in addition, 3,500 are currently enrolled in 

programs in Mississippi, Louisiana and recently established 

courses in Texas. 

We know the training is only the first step, and the Initiative has 

been working hard to reach out to local contractors in the gulf 

coast region to assist job placement trainees when they finish the 

program. 

I am pleased to tell you that the State agencies in Louisiana and 

Mississippi are reporting an average job placement rate of 80 percent for Initiative-trained graduates, and I must tell you that it is 

exciting to see that the training and career opportunities provided 

by the Initiative have positively impacted the lives of many gulf 

coast residents by giving them jobs and hope. 

I thank you again for the opportunity to talk with you about the 

Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative and our great campaign. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you for your testimony. 

[The statement of Mr. Castellani follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JOHN J. CASTELLANI

Introduction 

On behalf of Business Roundtable and our members, I would like to thank the 

committee for this opportunity today to talk with you about the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative and GREAT campaign. 

Business Roundtable is an association of chief executive officers of leading U.S. 

companies with over $4.5 trillion in annual revenues and more than 10 million employees. Our companies comprise nearly a third of the total value of the U.S. stock 

market and represent more than 40 percent of all corporate income taxes paid. Collectively, they returned more than $112 billion in dividends to shareholders and the 

economy in 2005. 

Roundtable companies give more than $7 billion a year in combined charitable 

contributions, representing nearly 60 percent of total corporate giving. They are 

technology innovation leaders, with $90 billion in annual research and development 

spending—nearly half of the total private R&D spending in the U.S. 

The Roundtable is committed to advocating public policies that ensure vigorous 

economic growth, a dynamic global economy, and the well-trained and productive 

U.S. workforce essential for future competitiveness. Our CEO members focus on 

issues they believe will have an effect on the economic well-being of the nation. 

It’s that focus on our national economy, an ability to identify major problems that 

require a broad coalition to solve and a willingness to lead that resulted in the decisions to establish two programs that have helped the Gulf Region following the devastating hurricanes in 2005. 

I first want to mention the Business Roundtable Partnership for Disaster Response Task Force, which seeks to improve and coordinate the private sector response to catastrophes. We launched this effort in May of 2005 following the devVerDate Nov 24 2008 07:45 Jul 06, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\110-HRGS\110-39\48914.TXT HSEC PsN: DIANE
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astating tsunami in Asia and the private sector?s unprecedented outpouring of contributions. 

Nearly 30 CEOs—from across industries—have joined forces as members of the 

Partnership for Disaster Response Task Force to leverage their resources and expertise to enhance and accelerate on-the-ground relief and recovery efforts following 

major disasters. Business Roundtable is working closely with the federal government as well as the American Red Cross and others to ensure that the private sector is fully integrated into the nation?s disaster response planning. The new chairman of this Task Force is Richard L. Keyser, Chairman and CEO of W.W. Grainger, 

Inc. 

The Partnership has proven to be a great resource to help Roundtable companies 

respond to catastrophes, including support in response to the South Asian earthquake and the Central American and Mexico Hurricane Relief Fund. Additionally, 

Roundtable companies contributed more than $360 million in cash and in-kind donations to support immediate relief efforts for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita—donations ranging from antibiotics to vehicles. 

The Partnership for Disaster Response dealt with the needs in the immediate 

aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, but our CEOs also saw an ongoing—and unmet—need during the efforts to rebuild the region. Despite the extremely generous national response to the devastation of the hurricanes, it was clear 

in the months that followed that the Gulf Coast region needed a significant number 

of additional trained construction workers to support reconstruction. 

Overview of the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative 

Under the leadership of Riley Bechtel, Chairman and CEO of Bechtel Group, Inc., 

and Charles Holliday, Jr., Chairman and CEO of DuPont, we have developed—and 

launched—the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative. Our goal for this Initiative is to recruit and train up to 20,000 new construction craft workers for the 

Gulf Coast region by the end of 2009. Business Roundtable companies and affiliated 

partners are committing up to $5 million in cash and in-kind services to fund the 

Initiative. 

The Initiative supplements ongoing efforts in both the public and private sectors 

to develop the skilled workforce needed to help the Gulf Coast region rebuild following the devastation of the 2005 hurricane season. 

Participants enroll in a free skills course which provides intensive training to prepare them for construction jobs and help them develop a career in the construction 

industry. They receive free entry-level training on topics such as basic safety, hand 

tools, power tools, blueprint reading and basic rigging. 

In most cases, participants are trained in local community and technical colleges 

by instructors certified by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). New worker training is also being provided under the approved 

apprenticeship programs of the Building and Construction Trades. To be eligible for 

training, a participant must be a legal U.S. resident and take a basic skills assessment evaluation. 

Free training courses are offered at local community and technical colleges and 

other facilities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas—and we?re looking to expand 

to other states. 

A Partnership—with Many Partners 

Let me emphasize that this initiative for positive action in the Gulf Coast is a 

true partnership involving federal, state and local government agencies, businesses, 

community organizations, educational institutions, and construction trade groups 

and associations. 

The U.S. Department of Labor has been an important partner in this effort, as 

both Louisiana and Mississippi have received funding made available through the 

U.S. Department of Labor?s Pathways to Construction program and National Emergency Grants. We have also worked closely with the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding. 

The success of the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative is due to the support of a large number of active partners from the public and private sectors. These 

include the governor’s offices and other agencies in Louisiana and Mississippi as 

well as state legislatures that have allocated important funding for job training programs. 

Other partners include the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, 

National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), the Associated 

Builders and Contractors Inc., Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America, 

Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL–CIO; Construction & Maintenance Education Fund, Construction Industry Roundtable (CIRT), Construction 

Users Roundtable (CURT), Home Builders Institute, Houston Business Roundtable, 

8 

Houston Community College System, Lake Area Industry Alliance, Louisiana Chemical Association, American Association of Community Colleges, Bosch Tool Corporation, Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance, Greater New Orleans Business Roundtable, Greater New Orleans Inc., Minority Business Roundtable, Mississippi Construction Education Foundation, NAACP, National Black Chamber of Commerce 

and National Roofing Contractors Association. 

‘‘I’m GREAT’’ Marketing and Recruitment Program 

The establishment of training with partner organizations has been an important 

first step, but we also are working hard to attract people to the available construction training classes. The Initiative has developed the Gulf Rebuild: Education, Advancement & Training or ‘‘GREAT marketing campaign which seeks to associate 

participation in the Gulf Coast reconstruction with a personal sense of self worth 

and accomplishment. 

The Initiative maintains a website (www.imgreat.org) which contains information 

about the Initiative and how to sign up for training. Interested persons are directed 

to call the Initiative’s 24–7 toll free call center (1–888–52-GREAT) for detailed information and assistance in signing up for upcoming training classes. The Initiative?s 

marketing has included a number of outreach methods including print ads, billboards, job fairs, community events and radio advertisements. 

Rebuilding Lives: Progress to Date 

We’re excited about the progress since the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative was announced last summer. 

By the end of April 2007, the Initiative had trained more than 5,000 workers in 

needed construction skills. In addition, another 3,500 are currently enrolled in programs in Mississippi, Louisiana and recently established courses in Texas. 

We know that training is only the first step, and the Initiative has been working 

hard to reach out to local contractors in the Gulf Region to assist with job placement 

for the trainees when they finish the program. I am pleased to tell you that state 

agencies in Louisiana and Mississippi are reporting an average job placement rate 

of 80 percent for Initiative trained graduates. 

It has been exciting to see that the training and career opportunities provided by 

the Initiative have positively impacted the lives of many Gulf Coast residents. 

Shawn, a construction training graduate, had this to say about his experience: 

‘‘Before starting training. . .I was unemployed and was having a hard time finding 

a good job. I completed training in a short time; I didn?t have to stay in school half 

my life to start a good career. I attended a job fair at the school and found a 

job. . .I’m also currently attending welding training at night. . and still have time 

to spend with my family. It?s really is true that you can get started in a good job 

with a little training and continue move up in the construction field. I?ve referred 

family members and friends to this program; I want them to have a chance to make 

a good living too.’’ 

Conclusion 

Thank you again for this opportunity to talk with you about the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative and our GREAT campaign. Working together—business, labor, government, education and many others—we will help the Gulf Coast 

region’s structures, economy and spirit. 

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Chairman THOMPSON. I now recognize Ms. Baskerville to summarize her statement for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF LEZLI BASKERVILLE, ESQ., PRESIDENT AND 

CEO, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN 

HIGHER EDUCATION 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and 

Ranking Member Congresswoman Brown-Waite, members of the 

committee. 

It is my distinct privilege to be here this morning on behalf of 

the Nation’s Historically and Predominantly Black Colleges and 

Universities. I am honored to serve at the helm of NAFEO, which 


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serves as the capacity building and capital building association for 

all of the Nation’s black colleges, 2-year and 4-year Historically and 

Predominantly Black Colleges and Universities. 

I am especially pleased to be here today with such a diverse 

panel of witnesses. I am glad to note by the presence of someone 

from government and someone from business and someone from 

media and the not-for-profit arena that there is a recognition by 

the committee of the interconnectiveness between our various 

vantages and what we have to bring today. 

When Katrina hit NAFEO-member institutions, the Nation’s Historically and Predominantly Black Colleges and Universities were 

hit in a particularly devastating manner. In the belly of the beast, 

we had Xavier, Dillard and SUNO, three of the Nation’s premier 

Historically Black Colleges and Universities that collectively send 

more African American students on to medical school then any 

other institutions in the Nation, send more African Americans on 

to graduate and professional programs in science and technology 

than any other institutions in the Nation, send more nurses into 

the workforce in and around the region than any other institutions, 

prepare teachers in urban teaching, a unique discipline offered at 

SUNO. 

Our institutions were doing a great deal, as you can see and as 

I expanded in my written testimony, not only to provide in meeting 

vitally needed services and needs in and around the gulf coast but 

nationally. 

When Hurricane Katrina hit, our institutions lost everything, 

lost laboratories, dormitories, libraries, faculty, administrators, and 

the like. Particularly devastating was the fact that faculty were 

displaced. Our faculty, who are far and few African Americans, faculty who are disproportionately underrepresented in the higher 

education arena. 

But amidst the storm, as our institutions in the belly of the beast 

in Mississippi, in Louisiana were experiencing devastation, some 

great things happened that I think can be instructive and helpful 

as we go forward. 

First, under NAFEO’s leadership, every member of the black college community, all 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Predominantly Black Institutions, joined in an effort first 

to receive students and then, second, to enlist their institutions, 

the students faculty administrators in the recovery efforts. 

Of particular note is an effort that happened almost instinctively 

by students that I hope will be instructive to this body as you look 

forward and think about how Homeland Security can play a more 

direct and immediate effort. Students came forward and organized 

many efforts to engage in recovery efforts, and they can play a critical effort going forward. 

Mindful of my time, I won’t discuss those efforts, but I will say 

that Homeland Security, in our estimation, has been lacking in its 

response, but the Historically and Predominantly Black Colleges 

want to work with them. We want to offer them an opportunity to 

use our resources, our researchers, our laboratories, our students 

and all in the higher ed community to respond. 

I have five particular recommendations that are outlined in my 

testimony. 

19 

Quickly, one is that, following precedent, we would ask that you 

would require that a percentage of the laboratory and research facilities investment in the Homeland Security go to building and 

strengthening the laboratories and research facilities on HBCU 

campuses. 

second, I would request that you require that a percentage of the 

scientific and technological resources invested in the Homeland Security research agencies provide Federal, State, and local officials 

with the technology and capabilities to protect the homeland and 

set aside some of those funds for HBCU. 

third, that you designate one of the Nation’s Homeland Security 

Centers of Excellence designating HBCU as such. We have the 

basis for meeting all of our homeland security needs; and with targeted investments in these national resources, in these national 

treasures, we will enable our institution, our country, to restore 

itself to its vibrancy. 

I also ask that you consider designing a program that is based 

on the volunteer efforts of our students, a program that would reward students and provide incentives for students to go to our campuses to play a vitally important role in the rebuilding effort. 

There is a member of your staff, Ms. Angela Rye, who led that 

effort for NAFEO; and I think she can be helpful in helping the 

committee to think through and shape what that might look like. 

And, finally, I would request that the committee suggest that we 

invest in HBCUs and designate them as disaster-resistant Universities, that they provide the services and resources to train those 

in the communities. They are unlikely situated in the belly of the 

beast. They are unlikely situated on the front lines. They are in all 

of the areas that are most prone to disasters, and I would urge you 

to respectfully consider involving HBCUs in these matters. 

I thank you so very much, and I look forward to answering any 

questions that you may have at the appropriate time. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you very much for your testimony. 

[The statement of Ms. Baskerville follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF LEZLI BASKERVILLE

Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member King and Members of the Committee, 

thank you for affording me the opportunity to appear before you today on behalf 

of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO), 

to testify about ‘‘The Role of the Department of Homeland Security in Gulf Coast 

Rebuilding and Recovery Efforts,’’ a subject about which NAFEO can offer the 

unique perspective of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Gulf 

Coast region and nationally. 

NAFEO is the nation’s only membership association of all of the two-year, fouryear, public and private Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and 

Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), representing almost 800,000 students, 

nearly 53,000 faculty and more than 5 million alumni. NAFEO’s more than 120 

member institutions are located in twenty-five states, the District of Columbia and 

the Virgin Islands. 

Since it was founded in 1969, NAFEO has been at the forefront of shaping federal 

and state legislation to preserve and enhance HBCUs and PBIs, expand college access and success. It has helped to build the capacity of HBCUs, their executives, 

administrators, faculty, staff and students; and it has served as an advocate for the 

preservation and enhancement of HBCUs, as a voice for blacks in higher education, 

and for education excellence, equity, access and success, especially for those of least 

advantage and those traditionally underrepresented in higher education. 

Much has been said and written about the Department of Homeland Security’s 

role in the Gulf Coast rebuilding and recovery efforts. The Department’s role is vitally important because it is responsible for anticipating, preempting and deterring 

20 

threats to the homeland, and preparing our nation and communities to respond rapidly and efficiently when such threats do materialize. From NAFEO’s perspective 

and that of the institutions we represent, the Department has fallen woefully short 

of realizing its potential in the rebuilding and recovery effort. Without the support 

and involvement of HBCUs and PBIs, the Department will not be able to realize 

its potential relative to the Gulf Coast rebuilding and recovery efforts. I am pleased 

to report, however, that NAFEO and its member institutions stand ready to assist 

the Department in the recovery and rebuilding efforts in any manner of means. 

When Hurricane Katrina swept in and landed a mighty blow to those in the Gulf 

Coast region, none felt the pang more than Dillard University, Southern University 

at New Orleans and Xavier University, three NAFEO institutions located in New 

Orleans. Hurricane Katrina was the most destructive and costly natural disaster in 

U.S. history. It caused unprecedented devastation to these HBCUs as well as other 

HBCU campuses in the region including Alcorn State University, Jackson State 

University and Tougaloo College in Mississippi. At Dillard, SUNO, and Xavier, entire campuses, including scores of dormitories, libraries, laboratories, and classrooms, were destroyed. Large amounts of equipment and furniture, books and supplies, academic records and teaching materials were permanently damaged, first by 

winds, floods and poison-filled waters, next by post-hurricane fires, and finally by 

toxic mold and mildew. If You Can Dream It, You Can Achieve It at an HBCU! 

Katrina’s wrath continues to be felt today, not only by the impacted higher education institutions, but the surrounding communities as well. Thousands of residents lost employment and access to other resources provided by the universities, 

their students and their faculty. Rebuilding these institutions is essential to rebuilding those communities. Yet, nearly two years after Katrina, the rebuilding, especially in the communities of least advantage and on the campuses of the least 

resourced institutions, has not moved with the alacrity, precision, and dispatch one 

would have hoped or expected. 

Southern University New Orleans, the only public HBCU in New Orleans, was 

hit the hardest of all higher education institutions. Katrina decimated SUNO, and 

the entire campus was destroyed. The students who attended SUNO were disproportionately impacted. As a commuter campus, located in the Ninth Ward with a nontraditional, older student body, many students at SUNO lost everything: their 

homes and all material possessions, a sense of community (faith institutions, health 

and human needs services, recreation facilities, schools for their children), and 

members of their families and friends. As part of the1890 land-grant system of institutions, which, like 1862 traditionally White land-grant institutions, are dubbed 

‘‘The People’s Institutions,’’ SUNO should have received swift, targeted public investments to restore the campus and reconnect it to the surrounding community 

with as little disruption to the education of ‘‘the people’’ as possible. This did not 

and has not yet happened. At the time of this hearing, nearly two years after 

Katrina, SUNO is still operating out of trailers, which many of its students and 

their families also call home. The university lacks adequate resources to retain 

many of its faculty whose families fled New Orleans during or post- Katrina, or to 

attract adequate new faculty and staff. 

Hurricane Katrina robbed many HBCU faculty and administrators of their homes, 

their livelihoods, and their families. Many have been furloughed, stripped of opportunities to teach, perform research, and publish. They are in effect, Missing in Action, but their individual stories and needs have gone unnoticed. Fortunately, with 

the assistance of the of the Ford Foundation, in partnership with South Carolina 

State University, NAFEO is beginning to document the challenges and needs of the 

displaced faculty and to take affirmative steps to meet some of their immediate 

needs. 

If Katrina highlighted the tacit inequities of resources for the affected institutions, 

then the experiences of displaced faculty should tell a similar story. Recovery efforts 

aimed at HBCUs emphasized the needs of students, rebuilding the physical and 

technological infrastructure, and supporting the presidents through the transition. 

There were few, if any, coordinated efforts to respond to the specific needs of faculty, 

who as scholars, lost research, libraries, and time. Around the country, various institutions, both historically white and historically black, extended invitations to individual faculty members, but there was no coordinated effort to document their experiences or monitor how they weathered the transition, and the opportunities, if 

any, that opened up for them. Katrina may represent the worst brain drain among 

African Americans in a region that this country has ever experienced. The long-term 

implications of losing displaced faculty have yet to be realized or even considered. 

This African American talent pool exists in an intellectual and physical limbo that 

is displaced and disconnected from the academy. The ongoing recovery and rebuilding efforts must take this into account and do something about it. 

21 

NAFEO’s Response 

When the Katrina catastrophe occurred on the 42nd anniversary of the March on 

Washington, at which the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. pricked the conscience 

of America and moved the nation to action with his riveting ‘‘I Have a Dream 

Speech,’’ government executives and individuals, associations, corporations, and 

foundations sprang into action trying to rescue, relocate, offer immediate relief and 

begin the long, trying process of restoring, rebuilding and revitalizing for those 

hardest hit by Katrina. 

As we collectively watched the violent winds and tumultuous waters engulf and 

destroy the city New Orleans and threaten the lives and property of hundreds of 

thousands of residents; and as we caught glimpses of the ravages of Katrina in Mississippi and Alabama, the Black College community sprang into action. NAFEO mobilized the black college community to do five things: (1) assesst the situation and 

gather as much information about the crisis and immediate needs as was available; 

(2) assist Dillard, Xavier, Southern University, New Orleans, and as necessary, 

Alcorn State University, Bishop State Community College, Coahoma Community 

College, Hinds Community College at Utica, Jackson State University and Tougaloo 

College to ensure the safety and security of the nearly 24,000 students collectively 

(9,100 at Dillard, Southern University New Orleans, and Xavier) who were in the 

eye of the storm; (3) assure that basic essentials were available for all of the students: water, food, housing, and medical assistance; (4) absorb the 9,100 Dillard, 

SUNO and Xavier students who could not return to their home institutions for at 

least one semester into Sister institutions; and (5) advance the basic human, mechanical and technical infrastructures of all our Katrina-shaken institutions. 

The united black college community brought and is continuing to bring to bear 

every resource it can muster, to aid the students, executives, administrators, faculty, staff, families and Katrina-ravaged institutions that are part of the black college community. They mobilized and are continuing to work as a united black college community on what we perceive to be the most important recovery, preservation, and rebuilding effort of our day. 

NAFEO immediately shifted human resources and began identifying financial resources for Katrina-impacted HBCUs. We worked with federal legislators, corporate 

and foundation executives to assist the region’s HBCUs that were most devastated 

by Katrina --Dillard, Xavier, and SUNO--to begin rebounding from $1 billion in 

damages to those institutions caused by flood and fire; and to also assist Alcorn 

State University, Jackson State University, and Tougaloo College, NAFEO institutions in neighboring Mississippi that also suffered hurricane-related damage. 

NAFEO initially engaged all of the NAFEO member institutions and other equal 

educational opportunity institutions in an effort to receive displaced students on a 

temporary basis until their home institutions could rebound and once again receive 

the students. This effort was remarkably successful. We engaged teams of students 

from among our 120-member institutions in assisting with the clean-up and rebuilding efforts following Katrina, as well as in feeding and clothing efforts and other 

projects to meet the immediate health and human needs services to those in the region. The students’ work is ongoing, and they continue to spend their breaks and 

vacations in New Orleans volunteering with the rebuilding efforts. 

With external leadership from NAFEO and internal leadership from members of 

the Louisiana and Mississippi delegations and others, we were able to secure four 

Special Supplemental Appropriations that included funds for the HBCUs hit 

hardest by Katrina and others that were damaged. NAFEO’s deep and heartfelt appreciation is extended to Senator Mary Landrieu, Congressman William Jefferson, 

Senator Cochran and Chairman Bennie Thompson, whose focused congressional 

leadership advanced these appropriations. 

For the first time in its then 37-year history, NAFEO moved its National Conference on Blacks in Higher Education out of Washington, DC to New Orleans to 

demonstrate the support of the collective black college community for Dillard, 

SUNO, Xavier, Alcorn State University, Jackson State University, and Tougaloo 

College. Among the important outcomes from that convening was the record from 

a filed hearing co-hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus and NAFEO, and attended by Senator Mary Landrieu (D–LA), Congressman William J. Jefferson (D– 

2d–LA) Congressman Bobby Scott (D–3rd–VA), Congresswoman Donna Christensen 

(D–VI) and others, on the impact of Katrina on our institutions and communities, 

and, equally as important, the many and varied ways in which our institutions 

could lead in rebuilding the hurricane-challenged institutions and communities 

Some federal agencies worked with NAFEO and others to reallocate monies already appropriated so they could be channeled to the students, faculty, institutions 

and vulnerable communities uprooted by Katrina. Notable among federal agencies 

that responded in an affirmative and effective manner was the U.S. Department of 

22 

Housing and Urban Development (HUD). With leadership from HUD Secretary 

Alphonso Jackson and with the support of Assistant HUD Secretary Dr. Darlene 

Williams and her executive leadership team, the Department shaped a new Universities Rebuilding America Program (URAP) which dedicated another $5.6 million to involve faculty and students in rebuilding the Gulf: $3.6 million of which was 

dedicated for HBCUs to provide a range of sustained services to the effected communities and $2 million of which went to collaborative undertakings between the 

Katrina-Rita-ravaged communities and schools of architecture and planning. 

The above and related actions were imperative because the black college community is extremely close, and no HBCU stands as an island. To the extent that one 

falters or falls, the others will be weaker as will be the African American community and the nation. It is vital, therefore, for continued coordinated black college 

community efforts, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security, to 

shore up Dillard, SUNO, and Xavier and their Sister HBCUs for many reasons, especially so that the educational and professional dreams and aspirations of the students, administrators, faculty and staff are not deferred, and the resources they provide to their service communities and the world are not lost. 

Best Practices in Rebuilding and Recovery Efforts 

Against the above backdrop highlighting some of the ways NAFEO and its member institutions—the entire HBCU community—its students, administrators, faculty, staff, alumni and friends; and large numbers of others in the higher education 

phalanx joined forces to assist in the recovery, and rebuilding efforts, I offer the following thoughts about, ‘‘The Role of the Department of Homeland Security in Gulf 

Coast Rebuilding and Recovery Efforts.’’ 

I note at the outset that NAFEO is proud and pleased that two of ‘‘its finest’’ are 

today at the heart of the Katrina rebuilding efforts, Lieutenant General Russell 

Honeree, Commanding General of the 1st U.S. Army, who is overseeing the Army’s 

efforts in New Orleans is a Southern University alumni; and Dr. Norman Frances, 

the first lay President of Xavier University, his alma mater, and the recent recipient 

of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is co-chair of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. Both of these distinguished HBCU alumni are bringing to their challenging 

tasks in the rebuilding efforts, the courageous, principled, equitable, focused, strategic determination and results oriented approach learned or reinforced at HBCUs. 

Despite the best effort of General Honoree, Dr. Frances, and many other brilliant, 

dedicated, passionate public servants who are working indefatigably and creatively 

to rebuild the Gulf Coast, the Department of Homeland Security’s effort in rebuilding the Gulf Coast is lacking. The mission of the mega-Department, to ‘‘lead the unified national effort to secure America. . . .prevent and deter terrorist attacks and 

protect against and respond to threats and hazards to the nation. . . .ensure safe 

and secure borders, welcome lawful immigrants and visitors, and promote the freeflow of commerce national network of organizations and institutions involved in efforts to secure our nation,’’ suggests that it is appropriate for the Department to 

play a large role in the rebuilding efforts. 

That the Department of Homeland Security was founded in the aftermath of the 

terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 suggests an appropriate measure of what 

might be expected post-Katrina and what the Department should and must do in 

the rebuilding efforts going forward. 

As we approach the sixth anniversary of 9/11 and as we near the second anniversary of 8/25, the day Hurricane Katrina hit, I urge this Committee to use the lessons learned from both 9/11 and Katrina to inspire and shape collaborative strategies that will enable the Department of Homeland Security to redouble its efforts 

to rebuild the Gulf Coast by engaging the entire HBCU community and other higher 

education institutions as the drivers for the recovery. With a shift in Departmental 

investments in the recovery and rebuilding efforts, these institutions can strengthen 

their human, physical, and technological infrastructure, to drive the recovery. The 

leaders of these institutions, their executives faculty, staff, students and alumni understand that the rebuilding efforts must not simply be about restoring facilities and 

reclaiming bodies, but also about recapturing lost and fallen youth and families and 

re-engaging and repositioning the institutions that are the cornerstones of the community: the schools, HBCUs and other higher education institutions; faith institutions, civic and non-governmental associations and government agencies; corporations, small and disadvantaged businesses; hospitals, health centers and other drivers of not only the economy but the health, vibrancy, security and diversity of this 

community. 

An examination of our nation’s response in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, before we had the Department of Homeland Security, can be instructive. Immediately 

following 9/11, Americans got a glimpse of our better selves. Thousands of individVerDate Nov 24 2008 07:45 Jul 06, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\110-HRGS\110-39\48914.TXT HSEC PsN: DIANE
23 

uals and organizations rallied to assist those whom we perceived at that time to be 

most vulnerable: those who were caught in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, 

or on Interstate 395 leaving the District of Columbia on foot because traffic was at 

a standstill, or who were ordered to leave buildings without access to their belongings or automobiles and with subways ‘‘on lock down.’’ We rallied to support our inadequately paid public health and safety workers who raced toward situations of imminent danger and exposed themselves to harm’s way so that others might live. We 

rallied to assist social service agencies, non-profit associations, neighbors and others 

whom some of us never recognized as connected to us until that fateful day. 

September 11th occasioned more physical, emotional, and economic loss than has 

yet been tallied. The highly visible, unfathomable tragedies of that day, elicited deep 

compassion and shared grief. As a nation, we channeled our compassion and shared 

grief into appropriate action. In the days and months immediately following September 11th, we, as a united nation rallied to raise record amounts of money for 

the ‘‘family and community discordance’’ that those horrific events triggered. We 

raised incredible amounts of public and private money to provide needed survivor 

assistance for families devastated by the unconscionable events. You, our representatives in Congress, quickly approved sorely needed dollars for increased public safety and infrastructure undergirding. We donated innumerable hours to public service 

and heroic relief efforts. Those days provided us with a glimpse of our better selves. 

Following the highly public devastation of 8/25—Hurricane Katrina—the most destructive and costly natural disaster in U.S. history that wiped out entire communities and devastated the HBCUs in the region—there was also a public outpouring 

of deep compassion and caring. People from every corner of the nation and indeed 

across the globe, from all walks of life, channeled their compassion and shared grief 

into appropriate affirmative action. Every HBCU and PBI in the nation responded 

by opening their doors or extending resources in some manner to save the compromised HBCUs and thereby assist to save the families and communities hit hardest by Katrina—those of least advantage. Traditionally White Institutions (TWIs) 

and others of goodwill did similarly. 

Disturbingly, neither the federal nor the state government—those who are responsible for investing public dollars in providing for the common defense, promoting the 

general welfare, and securing the blessings of liberty for all Americans, responded 

to Katrina as they did to 9/11. Many have suggested that part of the reason has 

to do with the race and class of the victims. The ‘‘public faces’’ of 9/11 were mostly 

white, whereas the ‘‘public faces’’ of Katrina were mostly colored and poor. Those 

who had their lives devastated and unalterably changed as the result of 8/25 were 

those of least advantage. 

Although I will not revisit the debate about the public failings following 8/25, it 

is important to note that we knew what to do following 9/11, and we as a nation 

did it. We knew what to do following 8/25, and we as a nation did not take many 

of the affirmative steps we knew to take. We knew that in order to move the families of direct victims of the September 11th attacks and of the 8/25 devastation from 

the depths of despair and uncertainty to a restored, albeit tenuous, sense of normalcy, we needed to shore-up their lives: provide for their immediate human needs, 

provide appropriate social services, spiritual support and counseling, and provide an 

educational base upon which they could ensure their future independence. 

Instinctively, we quickly thought about the children of the 9/11 victims and the 

future of those children. Interestingly enough, for those children we equated a 

brighter future with the fulfilled promise of educational opportunity. After the terrorist attacks six years ago, millions of dollars in public and private aid became 

available to educate victims’ family members, in many cases, without regard to financial need. Some students eligible for scholarships from various September 11 

programs come from families with real financial need. Others come from families 

who earned in excess of $200,000 annually and whose parents left them with financial security. Many received victim compensation funds averaging $1 million. Almost 

50 new organizations were created in the wake of September 11 to distribute almost 

$1.5 billion in various forms of aid. More than 40 programs and a dozen institutionspecific funds were created to aid victims’ families. One year after 9/11, well over 

$100 million was made available in education scholarships, and these amounts did 

not include a multitude of regional tuition waivers and loan forgiveness programs. 

In the nearly two years following 8/25—following Katrina—there has been no 

comparable public investment in public education in lower or in higher education. 

Some of the elementary and secondary schools in the areas hit hardest by Katrina 

are still not opened. And, at the postsecondary level, SUNO, the state’s only public 

four-year institution in New Orleans that educates disproportionate numbers of students of little advantage is still operating out of trailers and has had its shape and 

offerings drastically altered by the state legislature in what some believe is an effort 

24 

to transform the institution into a two-year institution. A total of $190 million in 

federal dollars was appropriated for the state higher education boards in Louisiana 

and Mississippi: $95 million each to Louisiana and Mississippi to divide among all 

higher education institutions that suffered loss as the result of Katrina. Dillard, 

SUNO, and Xavier alone occasioned $1 billion in financial loss. 

In the immediate aftermath of 9–11, we strengthened the whole community by 

assisting those whom we considered most vulnerable. In so doing, we demonstrated 

the faith, hope, and charity that strengthen the human community. In the immediate aftermath of 8–25, we floundered and bungled and have yet to make the level 

of public investment in rebuilding New Orleans and rebuilding our HBCUs that are 

the anchors of the devastated areas. To be sure, there were exceptions to this generalization. For example, Under Secretary Jackson’s leadership, HUD responded in a 

decisive and creative manner as did the Department of Education under Secretary 

Spellings. Other government entities, including National Institute of Minority 

Health and National Institute of Mental Health responded with swift, affirmative 

action, but as a whole, the federal response has been lacking. 

It is not too late to adjust our public response to Katrina and the rebuilding efforts to demonstrate the faith, hope and charity that make our nation strong. This 

Committee can begin today by taking a number of steps: 

(1) Require that a percentage of the laboratory and research facilities investment of the Homeland Security Department go to building and strengthening 

the laboratories and research facilities of the HBCU campuses ravaged by 

Katrina and of those on the campuses of their Sister HBCUs that are strategically located in frontline responder areas around the country, and could provide 

the biological, chemical, radiological, nuclear science, technology, computer and 

information science necessary to prevent, deter, detect, and mitigate the use of 

weapons of mass destruction; 

(2) Require that a percentage of the scientific and technological resources invested by the Homeland Security Research Agency provide federal, state, and 

local officials with the technology and capabilities to protect the homeland be 

set aside for the HBCUs in areas hit hardest by Katrina and for other HBCUs; 

(3) Designate one of the nation’s HBCUs as a Homeland Security Center of Excellence and afford these traditionally under resourced, richly diverse higher 

education institutions the opportunity to bring together leading experts and researchers to conduct multidisciplinary research and education for homeland security solutions; 

(4) Design and operate through NAFEO a new program designed to encourage 

and support the involvement of high-need, diverse students in meeting a homeland, campus, or community security research, policy or practice need; and 

(5) Invest first in making HBCUs ‘‘disaster- resistant universities’’ (DRUs) (defined as colleges or universities that have incorporated into their overall mission, initiatives to facilitate and enhance communication and the exchange of 

ideas among its community of students, faculty, scientists, practitioners, and 

policymakers, in order to identify urgent and important issues and measures related to the understanding and mitigation of natural, technological, and other 

disasters); and then, equip them to prepare the communities in which they are 

located. In testimony submitted by NAFEO to this Committee for its May 14th 

hearing on campus security, readiness and response, we outlined the reasons 

for this recommendation and why this would be an effective, equitable and efficient investment of sparse public dollars. We wrote in that submission: 

‘‘HBCUs must become prepared [to rebuild, protect and secure their communities] not only for the benefit of their campuses and the residents of 

their campuses, but also for the benefit of the communities in which they 

are located. As the economic engines and the social and cultural centers for 

the communities in which they are located, many HBCUs are the providers 

of services (water, sewer, electricity) for the communities in which they are 

located. They are uniquely situated and equipped to become first responders to community emergencies and also to train those in the community 

how to avoid, mitigate, and respond to emergencies and disasters.’’ 

We also noted the need for the proposed investments: 

‘‘HBCUs are under-resourced and have as the priority for their limited resources student learning and achievement. They are located in areas where 

a natural disaster is not only possible but also probable—in the Gulf States 

and on the East Seaboard, where hurricanes are prevalent and in our country’s midsection, also known as ‘‘Tornado Alley.’’ They are in urban and 

rural areas where terrorism is a threat and the rates of crime are high. 

They are clustered around potential target sites such as nuclear facilities, 

oil and gas supply sources and waste disposal plants.’’ 

25 

There is a legislative foundation and precedent for the proposed types of investments in HBCUs in the Executive Order 12876 establishing the White House Initiative on HBCUs, as well as in the Higher Education Act and other federal legislation. 

The data show that a postsecondary education is today the engine that drives the 

American economy. Data also demonstrate that HBCUs are extraordinarily successful at educating African Americans in STEM disciplines, health professions, as 

teachers and in other high-need professions. The proposed shift in the allocation of 

already appropriated dollars is the best investment the nation can make in its future: 

• HBCUs represent only three percent (3%) of all colleges and universities, 

yet they enroll fourteen percent (14%) of all African Americans in 4-year 

degree granting institutions; 

• HBCUs graduate thirty percent (30%) of African Americans receiving 4- 

year degrees, and forty percent (40%) of African Americans receiving 4-year 

degrees in STEM areas; 

• Twenty-four percent (24%) of all PhDs earned each year by African Americans are conferred by twenty four (24) HBCUs; 

• Eighteen (18) of the top twenty-three (23) producers of African Americans 

who go on to receive science-related PhDs are HBCUs; 

• Four (4) of the top ten (10) producers of successful African American medical school applicants are HBCUs. These HBCUs produce twenty percent 

(20%) more African American applicants than the other six (6) institutions 

combined; 

• Eight (8) of the top ten (10) producers of African American engineers are 

HBCUs. 

Thomas Jefferson’s admonition that a nation cannot be both ignorant and free is 

a sober reminder of what’s at stake for our nation’s future. Recent history has also 

taught us that a nation cannot be both ignorant and secure. 

I thank you, kindly, for affording me the opportunity to submit this testimony. 

I stand ready to answer any questions you may have. 

Chairman THOMPSON. I now recognize Mr. McDonald to summarize his statement for 5 minutes. 

BRYAN McDONALD, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF RECOVERY AND 

RENEWAL, STATE OF MISSISSIPPI 

Mr. MCDONALD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank 

the members of the House Homeland Security Committee for allowing us to tell you about the tremendous recovery that is occurring 

in our great State. I want to thank you very much, Mr. Chairman 

and distinguished members of the committee, for giving us this opportunity to come before with you today and tell you about this. 

On August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina gave Mississippi a 

grievous blow. Katrina completely devastated our entire coastline 

from Pearlington to Pascagoula. Our State and our citizens bore 

the brunt of a hurricane more devastating than anything this Nation has ever seen; and the miles upon miles of utter destruction 

on the ground were unimaginable, except for those, like many of 

you, who witnessed it with your own eyes. 

But this hurricane wasn’t just a calamity for the Mississippi gulf 

coast. Its impact reached far inland into our State, with hurricaneforce winds extending more than 200 miles from the coast and electricity cut off for more than 80 percent of our State’s 3 million residents. 

Mississippians found themselves having to scramble and adjust 

and innovate and make do. However, it was the spirit of our people 

that pulled us through. Our people are strong and resilient and 

self-reliant. They are not into victimhood. Their spirit has been an 

inspiration to us all, and that spirit remains the key to our rebuilding and recovery efforts. 

26 

We also appreciate FEMA’s partnership in cooperation with the 

State and local units of governments administering the Federal 

Public Assistance Program. Local governments are working with 

State and Federal officials to manage the process of obligating and 

closing out more than $2.1 billion in public assistance through the 

Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency. 

To date, FEMA has generated more than 10,000 project worksheets for repair and rebuilding projects in Mississippi’s communities. FEMA serves as a good partner for the State, and we applaud their commitment to work and make the public assistance 

process sufficient despite the unprecedented destruction of this disaster. 

Today, we are working hard to ensure that FEMA focuses its efforts on completion of the public assistance close-out process. Closing existing project worksheets is critical to our recovery and rebuilding efforts. It ensures that local governments receive the final 

allocations of recovery money and that contractors and subcontractors get paid for work that, in many cases, was completed more 

than a year ago. 

The State places great priority on completion of the outstanding 

project worksheets, and we are especially concerned that the potential impacts of future disasters in the United States could require 

mass reallocation of FEMA staff away from the gulf coast, thereby 

compounding the problem. As a result, we asked that FEMA give 

particular priority to eliminating the current backlog of PW closeouts. 

Another key component in the effective recovery and rebuilding 

of the coast of Mississippi is the State’s comprehensive approach to 

mitigating against the risk of future storms. We are committed to 

achieving this goal through the use of FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation 

Grant Program. To date, that program has over $434 million for 

use in Mississippi. Participation in the HMGP program requires a 

25 percent local cost share which currently stands at about $145 

million. 

We want to help the local applicants meet their cost share 

through the use of HMGP’s use of the Global Match provision. 

Global Match is a process that allows non-Federal funds that are 

used for other projects that were in keeping with the goals of the 

hazard mitigation program to count towards that 25 percent local 

match. The Global Match concept is widely accepted by FEMA. 

Mississippi has closed over 90 percent of the eligible phase one 

homeowner assistance grants totaling more than $900 million. We 

believe that the use of those projects for Global Match would eliminate the need for local governments to provide their match with 

local funds, and we ask for FEMA’s continued assistance in making 

Global Match a viable solution for Mississippi. 

As we find ourselves in the implementation phase of recovery, we 

understand that the work to recover, rebuild and renewal will take 

years. More importantly, however, it will take the continued support of our Nation’s leaders and the American people. 

Much opportunity lies ahead. Hurricane Katrina, with all of its 

destruction, gave birth to renaissance in Mississippi that will result 

27 

in rebuilding our State bigger and better than ever before. Our citizens will be at the heart of that effort. 

The people of our gulf coast have been a model of the spirit of 

Mississippians. They have remained strong and resilient and selfreliant though they have endured terrible hardships. They bore the 

worst of Katrina, and many are still living in conditions that 

amount to deprivation, but they persevere. Our people are rebuilding one day at a time, and we ask for your continued assistance 

in the move forward. 

Through your efforts and the efforts of the people of our great 

State, we are rebuilding a Mississippi that will exceed anything 

you have ever known. I want to thank you again for your time this 

morning and your continued interest and your continued support. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you very much for your testimony. 

[The statement of Mr. McDonald follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF BRYAN MCDONALD

I’d like to thank the members of the House Homeland Security Committee for allowing us to tell you about the tremendous recovery that is occurring in our great 

state. Thank you very much Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member and distinguished 

members of the committee for giving me the opportunity to come before you today. 

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck Mississippi a grievous blow. Although the eye of the storm landed at the Mississippi–Louisiana line, that eye was 

more than thirty miles wide, and Katrina completely devastated our entire coastline, from Pearlington to Pascagoula. The miles upon miles of utter destruction are 

unimaginable, except to those like many of you who have witnessed it with your 

own eyes. But this hurricane wasn’t just a calamity for the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 

Its impact reached far inland in our state with hurricane force winds extending 

more than 200 miles from the Coast. 

The storm claimed the lives of more than 230 Mississippians. The combination of 

the storm’s slow speed and the shallow waters off the Mississippi shoreline created 

a storm surge in excess of 30 feet in some areas. More than 80 miles of Mississippi 

coastline were completely destroyed by the mixture of high storm surge and strong 

winds. In her wake, Katrina left literally tens of thousands of uninhabitable, often 

obliterated homes; thousands of small businesses in shambles; dozens of schools and 

public buildings ruined and unusable; highways, ports and railroads, water and 

sewer systems, all destroyed. 

Damage along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast was widespread, as damage estimates totaled more than $125 billion. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 

reported that 65,380 homes in south Mississippi were severely damaged or destroyed. Electricity was lost for 80 percent of the state’s three million residents. 

More than 45 million cubic yards of debris was left in Hurricane Katrina’s wake in 

south Mississippi—double the debris that was created by Hurricane Andrew. Hurricane Katrina’s effects on Mississippi alone, therefore, would rank as the largest natural disaster ever to strike the United States. 

Our state and our citizens bore the brunt of a hurricane more devastating than 

anything this nation had ever seen, and the miles upon miles of utter destruction 

on the ground was unimaginable—except to those who witnessed it with their own 

eyes. 

Hurricane Katrina destroyed thousands of businesses and billions of dollars in 

sales revenue were lost. Beachfronts and hotels were obliterated. Losses in livestock 

and agriculture hit our state’s farming community especially hard. Small businesses—the lifeblood of many local economies—were wiped out along the coast line, 

and many were damaged or destroyed miles inland. 

Mississippians found themselves having to scramble, adjust, innovate, and make 

do. However, it was the spirit of our people that pulled us through. Our people are 

strong, resilient, and self-reliant. They’re not whiners and they’re not into 

victimhood. From day one after the storm they got to work and did what had to 

be done. They helped themselves and helped their neighbors. Their spirit has been 

an inspiration to us all, and that spirit remains the key to our recovery, rebuilding 

and renewal. 

However, several barriers to recovery still exist. The Department of Homeland Security, and more specifically, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has the 

28 

opportunity to remove some of those barriers, thus speeding recovery and allowing 

Coastal Mississippi to meet its potential. 

Coastal Mississippi’s local units of government have faced an array of challenges 

since August 29, 2005. Six of the eleven coastal cities elected new, first-term mayors 

less than two months before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. Although all within 

miles of each other, these eleven cities each had long-standing, distinct identities 

and enjoyed diverse economies and populations. 

The effects of the storm also were unique to each community. Some cities have 

seen increased sales tax revenues compared to the same period in the previous fiscal 

year while others look to loans and government grants to provide necessary services 

in the near-term. The State of Mississippi has provided grants of direct cash aid to 

stabilize struggling coastal governments. 

Of particular note is the stellar job local governments have done working with 

state and federal officials to manage the process of obligating and closing out more 

than $ 2.1 billion in Public Assistance dollars through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. To date, FEMA has generated more than 10,000 Project Worksheets for repair and rebuilding projects in Mississippi’s communities. FEMA has 

served as a good partner for the state, and we applaud their commitment to work 

with the state and locals to make this Public Assistance process efficient, despite 

the unprecedented destruction of this disaster. 

Today, we are working hard to ensure that FEMA focuses its efforts on completion 

of the Public Assistance closeout process. Closing existing project worksheets is critical to ensuring that local governments receive final allocations of recovery money, 

and thus are able to pay contractors and subcontractors for work that in many cases 

was completed more than a year ago. The state requests that FEMA commit to a 

staffing plan that will provide for the closeout of all Category A and B project worksheets by December 31, 2007. 

The state also places great priority on completion of the various outstanding 

project worksheets. We are especially concerned that the potential impacts of future 

disasters in the United States could force mass relocations of FEMA staff away from 

the Gulf Coast. As a result, we ask that FEMA give particular priority to eliminating the current backlog of project worksheets by August 31, 2007. 

Mississippi is committed to working to maintain the positive momentum and cooperative spirit that exists between FEMA, the state, and locals. In recognition of the 

cooperative spirit that exists, we also seek to ensure that FEMA headquarters continues to honor critical decisions made by local FEMA leadership and field personnel 

in the weeks and months immediately following the disaster. We believe it is important for decisions made by local FEMA leaders during the immediate post-disaster 

environment to be affirmed and upheld throughout the disaster recovery process. It 

is critical that decisions made on the ground carry weight throughout the agency, 

such that state and local elected officials can act quickly and in good faith based 

on those decisions. 

Of final note, local units of government have provided great leadership in ensuring that Mississippi is built back better than ever. Following the unprecedented 

Mississippi Renewal Forum in mid-October 2005, which paired Mississippi architects and elected officials with international experts in architecture and urban planning, most cities along the Coast have sponsored more intensive, multi-day 

charrettes, or planning and design sessions. These sessions attract the talents of 

worldwide experts and non-profit community building organizations and also provide broad public participation. 

A key component of the effective revitalization of Coastal Mississippi is the state’s 

comprehensive approach to mitigating against the risk of future coastal hazards. We 

are committed to achieving this goal through intelligent use of Hazard Mitigation 

Grant Program monies. 

The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is a federal program administered by the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency that provides post disaster funding to reduce or eliminate the future impacts of natural hazards to lives and property. Some 

examples of HMGP eligible activities are: residential storm safe rooms, retrofitting 

public facilities, hardening of public facilities to serve as shelters, buyout of property, elevating homes, and reconstructing homes in a safe manner. 

As with most federal grant programs, HMGP requires a 25% non-federal cost 

share. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) serves as a subgrantee and is responsible for establishing project priorities and program oversight. 

HMGP funds are computed by calculating 7.5% of total federal disaster cost. To 

date, Hurricane Katrina has generated $434 million in HMGP funds, thus requiring 

an estimated $145 million non-federal cost-share. Mississippi seeks to satisfy this 

cost share through the application of the ‘‘Global Match’’ concept. 

29 

The term ‘‘Global Match’’ generally refers to a non-federal contribution derived 

from several non-federally funded projects that are pooled together to meet a grant 

award match commitment. Global Match may also apply when a single non-federally funded project is used to fulfill the match requirement for one or more federally 

funded projects. Generally, ‘‘Global Match’’ is used to fulfill the 25% or greater local 

and state match required by FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. 

It is important to note that the application of the Global Match concept is a completely separate issue from the non-federal match for Public Assistance. The State 

of Mississippi has set aside funds required for the Public Assistance match. 

Mississippi’s application of Global Match seeks to allow the 25 percent HMGP 

match to be met with non-federal funds that were used for other projects that were 

in keeping with the goals of the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The state is 

tasked with identifying such projects. In most cases, those projects would have 

qualified under HMGP, but were funded by a separate source (e.g. private monies, 

insurance proceeds, grants). 

Early after Hurricane Katrina, the state recognized that it should pursue the 

Global Match concept by which non-federal dollars could be applied to all HMGP 

projects as in-kind (in lieu of cash) match. More specifically, it was identified that 

Community Development Block Grant funds utilized in the state’s Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP) could serve as sufficient match for the entire $433 million. 

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Homeland Security 

and MEMA regarding the eligibility of projects to serve as match for HMGP was 

drafted and signed in 2006. 

The use of Global Match will directly allow our local communities with devastated 

infrastructure, tax bases and finances, to pursue FEMA approved goals, including, 

but not limited to, retrofitting public facilities, hardening of public facilities to serve 

as shelters, buyout of property, etc. In addition, the very communities where need 

is the greatest have the highest level of inability to provide detailed projects under 

the HMGP guidelines to secure HMGP funding. Those impacted communities do not 

have the manpower and finances to document and track the detail required by 

FEMA for such programs. 

Mississippi is working to allow the Homeowner Grant monies spent in conjunction 

with Mississippi’s Homeowner Assistance Program (Phase I, Phase II, and Elevation 

Program) to qualify for Global Match. This will eliminate the need for local governments to provide the match from local funds. The grants mentioned above should 

qualify for Global Match because they achieve the same goals as HMGP. FEMA 

agreed to this at the local level, but was reversed in review. FEMA Region IV ruled 

that projects must be pre-approved and related cost must be captured and segregated into six categories. In addition, FEMA disallowed all Phase II costs due to 

the low-income nature of the plan (homeowners over 120 percent AMI do not qualify 

for Phase II grants). Compliance with Region IV’s pre-approval request would have 

resulted in unallowable delays in Katrina recovery. 

The funds utilized by the State in the Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP) 

should be allowed to fulfill State requirements of Global Match in order to meet the 

matching requirements of the hazard mitigation grant program. To date the State 

of Mississippi through the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) has taken 

18,916 applications for Phase I, and has closed 90 percent of the eligible grant applications totaling more than $900,000,000. As stated in the MDA HAP, Partial Action 

Plan adopted by HUD, the purpose of the program is to provide a one-time grant 

payment, up to a maximum of $150,000, to eligible homeowners who suffered flood 

damage to their primary residence as of August 29, 2005, from Hurricane Katrina. 

In exchange for the grant payment, a qualifying homeowner must agree to a mitigation covenant on their property that establishes higher building codes, flood insurance and elevation requirements for the then or future owner of the land. These 

mitigation covenant requirements and improved standards were implemented after 

Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. 

The mitigation covenant specifically states that the homeowner will now be required to: obtain and maintain flood insurance; rebuild and repair will be in accordance with the much more stringent 2003 international building codes; if rebuilding, 

the home and all future structures will be elevated to the FEMA advisory flood elevations in effect at that time. 

Mitigation has taken place by the placement of the covenant irrespective of 

whether the homeowner has repaired, rebuilt or left the former home site vacant. 

The covenant is in place in all cases. 

The HAP grant award is not awarded to the homeowner unless the mitigation 

covenant is attached to the property legally. The mitigation covenant is in perpetuity, runs with the flooded land forever, and permanently impacts that locality. 

The mitigation covenant fulfills the legislative intent by significantly lessening the 

30 

impact of a future similar storm or flooding event. Thus, Phase I funds distributed 

should be allowed to fulfill State requirements of Global Match in order to meet the 

matching requirements of the hazard mitigation program. 

The FEMA-State Agreement (MOU) presently provides for Global Match. However, it limits Mississippi’s ability to qualify Phase I as a global match project because it requires ‘‘any project contributing towards the program cost-share must 

meet all HMGP requirements, including all eligibility criteria.’’ Such criteria, as provided in 44 CFR § 206.434(c), restricts the State of Mississippi’s ability to qualify 

Phase I because of the thousands of separate properties affected thereunder. Environmental assessments, cost-effective analysis and pre-certification of Phase I as 

they relate to each property are administratively fatal to qualifying Phase I for 

Global Match. 

As a result, Mississippi municipalities under severe financial strain are denied 

the benefits of the hazard mitigation grant program. Without the ability to utilize 

Phase I projects as the non-federal portion of the State’s cost-share requirement, 

these counties cannot implement measures to achieve the goals of the hazard mitigation program to reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, loss or suffering, as 

outlined above. Thus, unless a solution can be found, the intended benefits of the 

hazard mitigation grant program will not be realized. 

Accordingly, the State of Mississippi respectfully requests that FEMA work with 

us to create an acceptable mechanism to qualify Phase I as consistent with the goals 

of HMGP so that it will be eligible to serve as then on-federal portion of the costshare requirement, without requiring an administratively fatal analysis and application process. 

FEMA is authorized to waive such administrative regulations under 42 U.S.C. 

§ 5141 (Stafford Act), which states that ‘‘[a]ny federal agency charged with the administration of a Federal assistance program, may. . .waive. . . such administrative conditions for assistance as would otherwise prevent the giving of assistance 

under such programs if the inability to meet such conditions is a result of the major 

disaster.’’ Clearly, Mississippi’s inability to qualify for immediate disbursement of 

available hazard mitigation funds to begin implementation of its hazard mitigation 

programs is a direct result of the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina. 

Aside from the ‘‘Global Match’’ concept, The State of Mississippi is also working 

with FEMA ensure that the agency’s Reasonable Cost standards are applied in a 

manner that protects coastal communities in Mississippi that adhered to all Federal, State, and local procurement requirements. 

Under the Public Assistance Program, costs that can be directly tied to the performance of eligible work are generally eligible, given that the costs are reasonable 

and necessary to accomplish the work; compliant with Federal, State, and local requirements for procurement; and reduced by all applicable credits, such as insurance proceeds and salvage values. 

FEMA determines that a cost is reasonable if, in its nature and amount, it does 

not exceed that which would be incurred by a prudent person under the circumstances prevailing at the time the decision was made to incur the cost. In other 

words, a reasonable cost is a cost that is both fair and equitable for the type of work 

being performed. 

FEMA currently establishes reasonable cost standards through the use of historical documentation for similar work; average costs for similar work in the area; published unit costs from national cost estimating databases; and FEMA cost codes. 

However, due to the unprecedented nature of this disaster, some costs associated 

with recovery work have been deemed unreasonable by FEMA, despite the fact that 

applicants adhered to all Federal, State, and local procurement requirements. The 

state asks that FEMA expand its standards through which reasonable costs are established to take into account all factors contributing to the market conditions that 

exist in Mississippi’s post-disaster environment. 

Despite the challenges that exist in Mississippi’s post-disaster environment, several opportunities also exist. While many of the recovery projects in Mississippi are 

being funded through other federal agencies and programs, the Department of 

Homeland Security and FEMA has a significant role to play in the long term recovery effort. 

In fact, the state has entered into a partnership with FEMA for creation and implementation of a Long Term Recovery Process. This process is unprecedented in the 

fact that it gives the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA an opportunity 

to lend their expertise to assist in long term recovery project implementation, regardless of the funding sources or federal agencies involved. The State of Mississippi 

and local FEMA leaders view this proactive process as a model that could guide long 

term recovery efforts during future disasters. Due to the array of long term recovery 

31 

opportunities that exist, the State of Mississippi is working with FEMA to increase 

the federal resources allocated to the Long Term Recovery Process. 

Building on the long term recovery plans written by FEMA’s Emergency Support 

Function 14, the new Long Term Recovery process takes additional steps to identify 

and secure state and federal resources necessary for long term recovery plan implementation. The Long Term Recovery Process allows FEMA to begin developing best 

practices for long term recovery to compliment the immediate response expertise the 

agency already posseses. The Long Term Recovery Process also allows FEMA to develop a program by which it partners with the state and local units of government 

to move beyond the realm of long term recovery planning, and into the realm of long 

term recovery implementation. In many cases, long term recovery projects identified 

in FEMA’s plans are being funded through Mississippi’s Community Development 

Block Grant allocations. 

Rebuilding and expanding our state’s economic infrastructure, creating jobs, and 

stabilizing our state’s insurance market are top priorities. Restoring our state’s economic base and tax revenues is critical to the long-term recovery of the state. Federal monies have contributed greatly to the improving quality of life in coastal Mississippi. However, we are still presented with challenges. We are grateful to President Bush and Congress for trusting us with these funds, and we pledge to continue 

to be good stewards of the taxpayer’s money. 

Education is the number one economic development issue in Mississippi and in 

every other state; and it is our number one quality of life issue, too. That is why 

it is our top priority and why it receives 62% of the state’s budget. As such, our 

schools’ recovery from Hurricane Katrina is perhaps one of the finest examples of 

the many markers of recovery that exist. 

Katrina had a devastating impact on Mississippi’s public schools. 79 school districts, a total of 263 schools, suffered damage. The storm totally destroyed 16 

schools and severely damaged another 24. Only 14 of 152 school districts statewide 

did not miss any days due to the storm. All told, nearly 80,000 children were out 

of school in Mississippi immediately after Katrina. However, children did not stay 

out of school for long, as local school districts and FEMA cleaned up and repaired 

the schools that received minimal damage and secured portable classrooms for those 

schools that were more heavily damaged. 

Most Mississippi school districts were able to resume operations within two weeks 

after the storm. A mere six weeks after the storm, all but one school district on the 

Coast, Bay St. Louis-Waveland, was back open, and that school district opened November 7th. As of the spring semester of the ’05–’06 school year, Mississippi K–12 

schools in six coastal counties were operating at nearly 90 percent of pre-Katrina 

enrollment. Those enrollment numbers are even higher today. 

There is a real lesson to be learned from the administrators, teachers, students 

and parents that worked tirelessly to ensure that Hurricane Katrina did not cripple 

education in South Mississippi. 

This testimony would be remiss if it did not also mention the tremendous impact 

non-governmental organizations have had on our state’s recovery. Since the hurricane, we have been overwhelmed by the support of people from across the nation 

and world willing to help us get back on our feet. Their generosity has been indispensable to Mississippians who are trying to rebuild their homes, communities, and 

lives. They’ve been evidence that an awful disaster can bring out the best in people. 

Perhaps no sector deserves more gratitude than the faith-based and not-for-profit 

organizations. These NGOs provided shelter, food, clothing, and financial assistance 

in the hours following Hurricane Katrina and have been unwavering in their presence and support since then. Many of these volunteer organizations are familiar 

names, such as the United Way, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Back Bay 

Mission, and Catholic Relief Services. Others, such as the Hands On Network, 

United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), Kaboom!, and the Mennonites 

may not have been well known to many South Mississippians before August 29, but 

now will never be forgotten. Their work and the work of hundreds more like them 

have restored hope and helped to rebuild lives. 

After the untold suffering and loss from the devastation of Katrina, Mississippi 

is well on its way toward recovery. At this point in the recovery process, the state 

has worked to fulfill the temporary recovery needs of our citizens, while developing 

solutions for the long-term problems facing storm-wrecked communities. Much of 

the federal assistance needed to address the projects and policies identified in state 

and local plans has been procured. As such, the state now finds itself in the implementation phase of recovery. 

We understand that our work to recover, rebuild, and renew will take years. More 

importantly, however, it will also take the continued support our nation’s leaders 

and the American people. Katrina revealed to the world and to ourselves the charVerDate Nov 24 2008 07:45 Jul 06, 2009 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 H:\DOCS\110-HRGS\110-39\48914.TXT HSEC PsN: DIANE
32 

acter and spirit of Mississippians. That revelation creates unprecedented opportunity for us and our state - opportunity for job creation and economic prosperity; 

for a better quality of life for our people; for greater, more widely spread equity that 

at any other time in our history. 

Indeed, much opportunity lies ahead. Hurricane Katrina, with all its destruction, 

gave birth to a renaissance in Mississippi that will result in rebuilding our state 

bigger and better than ever before. Our citizens will be at the heart of that renaissance. The people of our Gulf Coast have been a model of the spirit and character 

Mississippians. They have remained strong, resilient and self-reliant though they 

have endured terrible hardships. They bore the worst of Katrina and many are still 

living in conditions that amount to deprivation, but they persevere. Our people are 

rebuilding one day at a time, and we ask for your continued assistance in helping 

them move forward. Through your efforts and the efforts of the people of our great 

state, we are rebuilding a Mississippi that will exceed anything we have ever 

known. 

Thank You. 

Chairman THOMPSON. I now recognize Mr. Johnson to summarize his statement for 5 minutes. 

STATEMENT OF JEFF JOHNSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, TRUTH 

IS POWER 

Mr. JOHNSON. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to 

the ranking members and members of the committee. Thank you 

for the opportunity. 

It is interesting because, despite the fact that I am testifying as 

a journalist through BET, formally serving as the national youth 

director of the NAACP and organizing young people all over the 

country, we have seen on many levels how the story of this tragedy 

has not just been the great deal of discomfort and tragedy, for that 

matter, that those residents have had to endure. But the story in 

many cases have been the normal, average people that have 

stepped up to try to provide a great deal of service to those who 

have been displaced, even sometimes as displaced people themselves. 

There have been a cadre of community based organizations that 

have provided a number of services—and I think some of them 

have even been mentioned today, whether they be Common 

Ground, the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund or Project Heal—that 

have done everything from serve as conduits to existing resources 

to ensuring that people actually have the base needs within local 

communities or the ability to be able to rebuild and recapture some 

sense of normalcy. 

The fund-raising effort, as well, has been engaged by local folks, 

small organizations, nonprofit organizations and even private citizens. I think Mr. Castellani spoke about the corporate responsibility and the fact that corporate infrastructure has assisted a 

great deal. BET was one of those corporations that stepped up very 

early in the game, pulling together a telethon that raised not only 

$10 million but I think began to personify the philanthropic power 

of the entertainment industry and specifically an entertainment industry that had not traditionally been engaged in philanthropic 

outreach. 

So we saw members of the Hip Hop community, whether it was 

Jay-Z and Puffy, who gave over a million dollars themselves, or 

whether it was the broader community that traditionally has given 

in unsophisticated philanthropic ways in their communities, give in 

very targeted and strategic ways to the aid effort here. 

33 

One of the artists that I think really personifies that but goes 

unmentioned is David Banner, who is an artist that, in the midst 

of this post-Imus community, probably has some of the most questionable lyrics within Hip Hop but was one of the most avid organizers, especially within the State of Mississippi, that did not get 

the media attention that we know New Orleans received in galvanizing the members of the Hip Hop community to raise not only 

a million dollars but to send over 18 tractor trailers of aid and supplies to the gulf coast region in Mississippi specifically. 

In my experience within the gulf, I was on the ground immediately pretty much day 10 and working with some of the organizations on the ground. Myself and a young man named Kevin Powell 

helped to advise and organize a group called Katrina on the 

Ground, which were college students who gave up their spring 

break to go down to the gulf coast region and provide aid and services to existing organizations. This was an effort totally and completely run and managed by students and funded on a shoestring 

budget taking students initially into Selma, Alabama, to be trained 

and then dispatched into Mississippi and New Orleans to be able 

to provide aid. 

Additionally, I have served as executive director on a documentary called Picking Up the Pieces, which a student named Yasmine 

Gabriel, who was displaced as a medical student, decided after 

talking to her FEMA director to get a camera and put together a 

documentary about the story of students who were displaced. She 

funded it, she shot it, and she produced it on her own without any 

help and is now, in fact, I think an example. She moved to Washington, D.C., in less than a week to now enroll in law school. She 

was in medical school, now is enrolling in law school. It speaks to 

the power of the students who were involved. 

In the short amount of time left, the recommendations that I 

would give is to assist in building the capacity of these organizations and individuals; building strategic development of legitimate 

public and private sector partnerships designed to create long-term 

economic stability for local communities; to have the creation of affordable housing development partnerships between the private 

sector and local CDCs with percentages of revenues going to support local social programs; the distribution of targeted grant funds 

to increase capacity of local organizations and nonprofits; and, finally, the support of ongoing student volunteer efforts during summer and spring breaks to ensure that we see students on the 

ground assisting in the ongoing effort. 

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity and the 

committee for allowing us to give our testimony. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you very much. 

[The statement of Mr. Johnson follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JEFF JOHNSON

Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member King, and distinguished members of the 

House Committee on Homeland Security: 

My name is Jeff Johnson and I am pleased to appear before you today as the 

President and CEO of Truth is Power. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to testify 

on this incredibly important and pressing issue. Hurricane Katrina, and all that 

came along with the storm, has been labeled as the greatest natural disaster in the 

history of the United States. However, the ‘‘greatest’’ story may very well be how 

34 

the nation’s people and small organizations responded to the needs of the citizens 

in the Gulf Coast region. 

There is a cadre of non-profit and community based organizations that have provided everything from assistance with the identification of basic resources to rebuilding homes and reopening small businesses. Organizations like Common 

Ground, the People’s Hurricane Relief Fund and Project Heal are just a few of the 

organizations that have taken on the Herculean task of providing not only services 

and resources, but hope to communities throughout the entire Gulf Coast Region. 

The People’s Hurricane Relief Fund supports and networks service providers of 

housing, healthcare, case management, and legal services to Internally Displaced 

Persons (IDPs) and residents, but do not provide direct services. Their web site 

states, ‘‘We Must Build a Strong, Independent Gulf Coast Self–Determination and 

Reconstruction Movement so the People Can Decide!’’ They are calling for the convening of the Second Survivors Assembly on Saturday, August 25th through Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Another grassroots organization, 

the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) was founded to help Louisiana citizens change the balance of power. By empowering more than one hundred 

grassroots, community organizations, and countless individuals, LEAN has already 

helped in gaining a tremendous foothold in the war to make Louisiana’s communities safer, healthier places to live. LEAN’s expanded efforts will ensure that progression continues in the Gulf Coast region. 

The fundraising efforts for much of the work that has taken place in the Gulf has 

been corporate and grassroots driven. The SOS telethon hosted by Black Entertainment Television is just one example of how the corporate community engaged the 

average consumer to ensure that work to provide relief immediately after the storm 

did not come to a screeching halt as a result of limited financial resources. This effort by BET, not only raised over $10 million, but also personified the philanthropic 

power of celebrity communities that traditionally do not give beyond the borders of 

their own neighborhoods. 

In my capacity as a journalist for BET, I was made aware of efforts of celebrities 

utilizing their fame and resources to raise awareness and money for the Gulf. There 

were artists and entertainers who were natives of Mississippi and New Orleans who 

were anomalies, as they became ambassadors for their hometowns. One more noteworthy, but less heralded, was David Banner. He highlighted the duality and complexity of the hip-hop community in a ‘‘pre-Imus’’ world. Although David Banner has 

arguably some of the most controversial lyrics in hip-hop, without prompting or convincing he was one of the first people amongst the African American celebrity community on the ground in Mississippi where very little media attention was given. 

He galvanized media attention, human resources, and financial resources to provide 

immediate aid to communities that were not a part of the New Orleans media frenzy. Nearly $1 million was raised and 18 flat bead trucks full of supplies were sent 

into Mississippi through his efforts alone. Banner was just one example of several 

artists within the hip-hop community that stepped up to provide resources in the 

right places at the right times when the federal government was still making assessments of the damage caused by the hurricane. 

As a journalist and organizer, my personal involvement has been in galvanizing 

students specifically to provide grassroots support to the Gulf Coast and then reporting it. I served as one of the steering committee members of an initiative call 

Katrina on the Ground. Primarily myself and activist and writer, Kevin Powell of 

New York, funded the initiative, however students ran it in totality. This studentorganized and student-led initiative mobilized over 3,000 students for an alternative 

Spring Break 2006 to the Gulf Region for the purpose of providing support and increasing capacity to existing organizations on the ground. The students came from 

all over the Nation as a way to demonstrate that humanity and generosity of the 

American people extended into a generation that many continue to label lethargic 

and apathetic. 

The students began their service at training in Selma, AL, which served as an 

introduction for many of them to the reality of what they would see and would experience once they hit the ground in the Gulf. Secondly, the students were provided 

with an understanding that they were not being deployed to save helpless people, 

but rather being dispatched to assist a battered set of communities that were resilient in the face of tragedy. Finally, the students were provided base line training 

in local clean-up, administrative support, and other critical needs. The twenty-something organizer of KOTG, Wesli Spencer, states, ‘‘this effort was necessary to show 

this country the true dedication our generation has to making a difference’’. 

Additionally, I have the pleasure of serving as the Executive Producer of a documentary produced, shot, and funded by a twenty something medical student displaced by Katrina. Picking Up the Pieces chronicles the untold story of how college 

35 

students in the Gulf region were affected by Katrina. Yasmin Gabriel pulled together several students who share stories of driving across country once to find family members and then again to gain admission into any college or university that 

will admit them with little to no financial cost. While watching the documentary you 

are introduced to Patrick Robinson, a 25-year-old student from New Orleans who 

emotionally recalls his return back to college right before Katrina. He defaulted on 

his student loans after Katrina due to the expiration of the three-month grace period. He is now working in Baton Rouge with few financial options to return to 

school. Picking Up The Pieces also highlights the struggles of Monique Hill, age 22, 

who went to Georgia State University after Katrina and after one semester Georgia 

State attached out of state fees to her tuition and FEMA denied her rental assistance, because neither she nor her roommate could claim head of household. Monique 

had to drop out of GSU and return to New Orleans to live at home with her parents—only her new home was a FEMA trailer. A young college student’s dream deferred to attend business school in Georgia after graduation. 

This documentary does more than illustrate the resilience of America’s students, 

but serves as a training video for how students and universities should prepare for 

and respond to natural and unforeseen disaster situations. The aforementioned 

projects and initiatives and the students that organized and staffed them should be 

applauded. However, in some cases they are services that should have been provided 

or at the very least supported by government resources. In fact, the Department of 

Homeland Security’s Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding 

could very well serve as the primary facilitator for such efforts. 

During my last visit to New Orleans I was simultaneously encouraged and horrified. It was evident that there was a renewed spirit in the downtown and French 

Quarter areas of the city that seemed to have revitalized the important tourism industry of the Big Easy. However, there is little easy about the reality of the Lower 

9th ward, Biloxi, MS and countless places between the two that have seen little to 

no change since the waters receded. There are still communities in FEMA trailers, 

homeowners unable to gain resources to rebuild, and generational residents indefinitely displaced. This was not the picture of the Gulf I thought we would see over 

a year later. 

In my testimony today, I have attempted to provide you with several examples 

of private citizens, local organizations, and even large corporations that stepped in 

to provide service and resources to restore some since of normality and dignity to 

the proud people of the Gulf. These organizations and programs cannot fulfill the 

remaining work that must be accomplished without the support of the Federal Government and more specifically, the Department of Homeland Security. The benefit 

of the existing scenario is that the infrastructure and staff is already in place. In 

my trainings, I teach that you need the three C’s, Commitment, Competence, & Capacity, to have effective impact during any grassroots campaign. The organizations 

and individuals on the ground have a proven track record of commitment and competence. They are now just in need of the third ‘‘C’’; Capacity. The Department of 

Homeland Security should begin identifying resources and developing viable partnerships with proven community based and non-profit organizations to increase the 

capacity of the work they have done for the last 18 months. Our country must do 

all it can to not only support, but also reward the civic and humanitarian ingenuity 

of citizens who have gone above and beyond to ensure the well being of the common 

man. 

The comprehensive work that needs to take place in the Gulf is multi-leveled and 

complex. I believe that some of the strategy must include but not be limited to, 

1. The strategic development of legitimate public & private sector partnerships 

designed to create long-term economic stability for local communities. 

2. The creation of affordable housing development partnerships between the private sector and local CDC’s with percentages of revenue going to the support 

of local social programs. 

3. The distribution of targeted grant funds to increase capacity of local organizations, non-profits, and service providers with proven track records. 

Chairman THOMPSON. I would like to thank all of the witnesses 

for their testimony. I will remind each member that he or she will 

have 5 minutes to question the panel. 

I now recognize myself for the beginning of the questions. 

Mr. Johnson, in your testimony, you discussed various efforts 

that provided support served to the area ravaged by Hurricane 

36 

Katrina. Is your testimony that many if not all of these services 

were provided without the guidance of the Federal Government? 

Mr. JOHNSON. In almost all of those cases, yes, sir. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Has the Office of Federal Coordinator for 

Gulf Coast Rebuilding been helpful? 

Mr. JOHNSON. In many cases, I don’t believe that they—many of 

those organizations, in a poll that I took, knew that the office was 

there but have had no contact with anyone within that office. But 

a large number of the individuals on the ground don’t even know 

that the office exists. 

Chairman THOMPSON. And I would just kind of like to ask Mr. 

Castellani, have you had an ongoing relationship with the Office of 

Federal Coordinator; and, if you have, can you tell me when that 

started? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. Yes, we have. It began shortly after the office 

was established. 

We had a series of meetings with the office and the head of the 

office, and they were primarily helpful in pulling together the large 

number of groups that eventually participated in these initiatives 

that we are spearheading. So they were helpful in coordinating and 

bringing together the groups that ultimately formed the coalition 

that has the Initiative under way. 

Chairman THOMPSON. So I guess the point is, on the one hand, 

they worked substantially with the business community, but when 

you look at the nonprofit advocacy community, it is questionable. 

Mr. CASTELLANI. If I might, the group that was pulled together 

included business, AFL–CIO, the trade unions, the NAACP, local 

communities. So the office pulled together those groups. It was not 

just business that they pulled together, and I didn’t want to leave 

that misimpression. I am sorry. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Have you had any, Ms. Baskerville, had 

any knowledge of—working knowledge of the Office of Federal Coordinator as it relates to the Katrina/Rita response? 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. I have not personally had any. I have not personally had contact with that office, Mr. Chairman. But I note that 

Norman Francis, who is Co-Chair of the Louisiana Recovery Efforts 

and is President of Xavier University, has been in contact with all 

of the various coordinating agencies. Norm Francis is not only the 

President of Xavier, but he is an alumni of Xavier University. 

I also note that Lieutenant General Honore, who is the commanding general of the First U.S. Army down in New Orleans, is 

a proud alum of Southern University and NAFEO Institution; and 

I trust that General Honore has been in touch with the office. But 

I have personally not been. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you. 

Mr. McDonald, as you know, there are some parts of Mississippi 

that have much farther to go in the recovery effort. Some of it we 

will see during the break. Two of our committees will be traveling 

to Mississippi and Louisiana. 

What else can the Department do to assist in the rebuilding and 

recovery process, especially for those citizens that have been left 

behind? 

Mr. MCDONALD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman; and I do want to 

thank you for the field hearings and the continued interest. 

37 

I think the first answer to the question is that sustained focus, 

the focus of this committee, of you, of Congress, on the recovery effort which candidly, as you know as a first responder in your background, is not as appealing as the response effort. Ice and water 

tends to get more attention than the effort of getting people back 

into houses and back into jobs. 

So the first answer would be the sustained focus and attention 

of this committee and of Congress; and as we move forward 

through this disaster, as I indicated, we look for and continue to 

need a streamlined, accelerated answer to policy questions and 

issues and the matter of resolution. Be it in the Stafford Act or 

with other Federal agencies, the ability to continue to assign priorities to the resolution of those recovery issues is certainly critical 

to where we go from here. 

Chairman THOMPSON. I thank you for the response. I think all 

of us as a committee and individually are on record that the response to Katrina and Rita was woefully inadequate. What we are 

trying to do with hearings like this is to have history not repeat 

itself, and it is your testimony and the testimony of others that will 

lead Congress to try and make sure that that not be the case going 

forward. 

My time has expired. I will now yield 5 minutes to the gentleman 

from Pennsylvania, Mr. Dent. 

Mr. DENT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman; and I guess my question 

will be to Mr. Castellani. 

What sort of State and local government participation does the 

Gulf Coast Workforce Initiative receive currently? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. We receive very substantial support from both 

Louisiana, Mississippi and growing support from Texas. It has 

come in a number of forms. 

Obviously, the training is being done at the local community colleges and technical colleges, so they have been very much involved, 

the local departments of labor, the local departments of response. 

The governors have been very involved. Some of the States have 

been very involved. So it has been a very broad-based governmental response on the local level to help both recruit, train, and 

place these graduates of the training program and their jobs. 

Mr. DENT. What has been your greatest obstacles in training up 

to 20,000 displaced or disadvantaged workers? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. The two biggest obstacles that we face are ones 

that we should be able to fix. That is, under privacy restrictions 

that the colleges operate under right now, we cannot get direct access to the trainees who graduate so that we can place them with 

the jobs that are available; and that was something we need to 

work on. 

The second is the program that has been running this and will 

expire at the end of this year, and certainly it has been very valuable at a relatively low cost, so when we are done with the 20,000 

there will still be more that will be necessary, but we would urge 

that the programs continue, the pathways, so the construction program continues. 

Mr. DENT. And how does the Initiative’s efforts and success in 

Mississippi differ from the Initiative’s efforts and success in Louisiana? 

38 

Mr. CASTELLANI. There have been more participants in Louisiana 

than there have been in Mississippi to date. That has been the 

focus of a lot of the activity. Of the 5,000 that have been trained, 

3,500 have been from the State of Louisiana and the other 1,500 

from Mississippi. 

What we need to do on our part, and what the State recognizes, 

both States recognize, and now what Texas is also assisting in, is 

doing a better job in locating those people who are displaced and 

getting them into these programs. 

Mr. DENT. And to Ms. Baskerville, in your written testimony, you 

propose that a percentage of DHS laboratory and research and investment should be dedicated to Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities that were ravaged by Katrina. Assuming that Katrinaravaged black colleges and Universities are not fully recovered, 

what time line to you believe would be appropriate for these Universities to begin receiving dedicated DHS research funds? 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. I think now is the time to receive the research 

funds. Dillard and Xavier are up and functioning. Dillard and Xavier have particular strengths in areas of interest to the Homeland 

Security Department. So the funds could come now, and along with 

the funds will come their increased ability to serve. 

It is a catch-22. If you say wait until they are up to their full 

capacity, but there are no resources to get them there, they will 

not, but if we infuse resources now and they are ready to receive, 

they can build and step in and meet some of our immediate needs. 

SUNO is another situation. SUNO, the campus is still displaced. 

The students and families are still living in trailers. They have not 

yet returned to their campus. They are in immediate need of some 

rebuilding so that they can go back. 

If I might, sir, I want to draw particular attention to SUNO. It 

is the only public institution in New Orleans dedicated to educating 

large numbers of traditionally underserved students. Their student 

population is disproportionately those from the Ninth Ward. These 

families are still displaced. The institution is still not up to speed. 

So one thing I would urge and encourage is that Homeland Security and the resources that are available through that department 

be brought to bear to put these students into their education environment. To the extent that they are able to return, their communities will return. These are not students from all around the country. They are students from the Ninth Ward. So if they are able 

to return, the economy will be stimulated. Health services can return and the like. There will be a rippling impact. 

Mr. DENT. Thank you. I will yield back the balance of my time. 

Chairman THOMPSON. I will now yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Etheridge. 

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Thank you. 

Let me thank our panelists for being here. We all know we are 

about roughly 10μdays now from what is classified as the start of 

hurricane season, and those who live in North Carolina know what 

that means. We have been fortunate in the last couple of years, 

last year, but not sure that will be the case again this year. 

We saw in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which was an unprecedented disaster in this country’s history, but also we saw public 

community response which was also unprecedented. Not only did 

39 

professional and volunteer first responders, who were our front line 

to face this kind of emergency, come to the aid of the people in the 

gulf region, but a lot of the private individuals went, a lot of faithbased groups showed up. 

Many took time from their careers, students took time from their 

studies, and several of you already noted that students were the 

first to move the grass roots organizations, some newly formed, 

some are well-established. And the list goes on. 

My question to Mr. Johnson is this. What role did grass roots organizers have for the ongoing needs of the region and what are 

some obstacles that they faced in the beginning versus the obstacles that they face now and how can these obstacles be overcome? 

You alluded to that in your opening statement. 

Mr. JOHNSON. I think that, to really cut to the chase, the obstacles in the beginning were really about trying to assess where they 

could have the greatest impact, where they wouldn’t just be spinning the wheels and where in the midst of this cadre of needs in 

very specific communities that varied in many ways how could they 

have impact, as opposed to just scurrying around. 

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Because they are so overwhelmed. 

Mr. JOHNSON. Absolutely. 

I think, over time, the organizations that have lasted and have 

been able to continue have been able to become niche organizations 

that have identified specific communities where they need to provide service, have been able to identify specific populations that 

need service and been able to create the relationships whether they 

are with the private sector or whether they are just pulling together community folks to keep that going. 

I think what the real need is at this point, you have the commitment, you have the competence, but there needs to be capacity, capacity building to ensure consistency and service. 

So what the organizations are in need of now is the assistance 

of building that capacity, whether it is in creating the partnerships 

that bring in financial resources, whether it is training to increase 

the expertise of the staff that has had to encounter things they 

never thought they would encounter before, and whether it is beginning to build I think networks that are already there but creating larger and broader networks between very grass roots individuals that have their hand on the pulse of the community and 

those that have the greater capacity to be able to provide assistance. 

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Thank you. 

Mr. Castellani, you talked earlier about building—the focus has 

been on the building of infrastructure for the future of the gulf region, which I happen to agree is critically important. 

My question is this: How are you supporting the enterprises that 

came in to fill the need in the early days following the disaster; 

and, second, you have talked about the training that has taken 

place of building that capacity. What steps are being taken to ensure that your efforts are sustained so that these workers who 

were trained can find jobs in the region and meet over the long 

term? I think that is a critical part. It is one thing to train them 

and get them there now, but more importantly over the long term. 

40 

Mr. CASTELLANI. Let me answer the second part of the question 

first. 

Our effort was focused on getting the first to 20,000. What we 

need to do is transfer the intellectual property that we have collectively developed in the part of this program to an organization that 

can continue it, and there are some opportunities to do that. We 

have identified those organizations. 

The jobs themselves right now have been predominantly in rebuilding industrial facilities. That is where most of our graduates 

have gone. They have not yet seen large amounts, we have not yet 

seen large amounts go into residential reconstruction which will 

come afterwards, but they have the skills to have a very good job 

and continue to improve those skills. 

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Because if you do it in the infrastructure, which 

will be water and sewer, you can’t build the residential communities until you get infrastructure in place, as you and I both know. 

Mr. CASTELLANI. One of the biggest dilemmas we have had is 

where do you house the workers to build the housing that workers 

need or build the infrastructure that the workers need. That has 

been a significant challenge, and that model is coming together. 

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Because the long term is going to be critical for 

a long-term creation for job creation in the region. 

Mr. CASTELLANI. Absolutely. And these are skills that can be 

built on. They come out with basic skills. They can improve in the 

specifics of carpentry, electrical, plumbing, welding, and continuing 

to improve those skills. 

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Thank you. 

Ms. Baskerville, you mentioned there is a disproportionate burden on students in the response, obviously, especially at the 

HBCUs. My question is, as you look at that, as I happen to have 

two in my districts, Shaw and Federal, State, but as you look at 

that, what can Homeland Security do to ensure that our Nation’s 

colleges are prepared for the next disaster? Because it will come. 

We just don’t know when it is going to come. 

I think what we need to know is, we may not get back and fix 

the problem. We have to go back and work on it. But what can we 

do to be ready for the next one? Because it probably will happen. 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. I propose and in my written recommendations 

I suggest that Homeland Security, through NAFEO, prepare 

HBCUs to serve as first responders in all of the emergencies. So 

whether it is the natural disaster or a man-made disaster, our institutions are resources, and I want Homeland Security to look at 

them as valuable resources. We have engineers and architects. We 

have a range of the services, health care professionals. 

So I propose that we designate the HBCUs around the country. 

We are in 25 States, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands; and we designate the HBCUs as first responders, train a 

cadre of people there who then become trainers in their respective 

communities. 

I suggest that that is important, and it makes sense because of 

their strategic locations in areas that are either hardest hit by natural disasters or are prone to man-made disasters because of their 

location. And we have the data and some charts and graphs that 

will show that. 

41 

Mr. ETHERIDGE. Thank you very much. 

I yield back. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you very much. 

I would like to ask Mr. Castellani—did I get it correct that time? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. You did. 

Chairman THOMPSON. I know you have been called a lot worse, 

but I apologize for mispronouncing your name. 

One of the issues that Mr. Etheridge and some people have alluded to is this notion of a civilian disaster recovery person within 

the Department. You know, we still have thousands of people who 

are displaced because of Katrina and Rita; and there is no real 

focus, some of us think, from the Department to get these people 

back. And that is because no one in the Department has that mission. Where do you come down on this? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. Well, Mr. Chairman, we have focused our efforts in two areas: One has been the immediate response. That is 

what our Disaster Response Task Force had been established to do, 

to mobilize the resources of our member companies, whatever was 

needed in the initial response. That has presented us with some 

significant challenges, particularly in the coordination between the 

Federal, State and local providers for meeting the needs. But we 

continue to work on those. 

We undertook this effort in training skilled construction workers 

because our members were looking at the communities, of their facilities, their employees, that had been destroyed by the hurricanes 

and recognized that there were not enough construction workers to 

rebuild not only the facilities or the plants and the equipment that 

they own but the communities of the workers and the communities 

that their families participated in. 

We have not been involved in the long-term reconstruction beyond that. So I really do not have an expertise in what the Department can do to help that. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Mr. Johnson, you want to take a stab at 

it? 

Mr. JOHNSON. I would be willing to say as well I don’t know if 

my expertise is there, but I do believe and I think that what in 

many cases is missing, and I step back because I just spent a great 

deal of time in Liberia, and I mention Liberia because the conversations that they are having right now is how do we bring back 

these hundreds of thousands of—tens of thousands of citizens who 

have been in Ghana, who have been in Nigeria, during the time of 

the war. And I believe that there has to be someone in place within 

the Department that deals with the logistics of that. 

But I think that, as we look at the reality of the region, that it 

still has to be so connected to much of the work that has to be 

done. We do ourselves a disservice to talk about how do we bring 

back thousands of people into areas that are not prepared to receive them. So I think while that person is necessary to deal with 

the long-term logistics and strategy of returning people to the region, if it is not strategically directly connected to the rebuilding 

effort, to the creation of jobs, to the rebuilding of communities, then 

we are organizing people to bring them somewhere that is not prepared to receive them. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you. 

42 

I will now recognize Mr. Reichert for 5 minutes. 

Mr. REICHERT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

And thank you for being here today and sharing your testimony. 

My background is in law enforcement, 33 years with the Kings 

County Sheriff’s Office in Seattle. 

My question, first question, is are any of you on the panel familiar with the acronym CPTED, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design? Your law enforcement agencies in Mississippi and 

Louisiana and those areas I think might be familiar with this term. 

I think it is a great opportunity for all of you to engage in. This 

is something that is a nationwide program. So as you rebuild businesses, buildings, as you rebuild neighborhoods, you look at building those structures in a way that helps prevent crime. 

But it can be extended to include preventing or going back to 

mitigating the impacts of another Katrina or some other sort of disaster. So as you design and build buildings and roadways and freeways, CPTED can be applied to that. And you can probably have 

another name for that. But I think it is important, as you look at 

rebuilding your communities, CPTED discussion would be a valuable one, considering the crime rate that we have heard about and 

the difficulties therein in addressing crime issues. 

Mr. McDonald, Governor Barbour created your office. Can you 

describe kind of your day-to-day activity and how you managed the 

recovery and renewal project? 

Mr. MCDONALD. I would be glad to. 

Our office was created immediately after the disaster; and, as I 

am prone to say, and those who know me would concur, I am no 

rocket scientist. It is about getting the job done. It is about getting 

the folks in the same room, setting up measurements and having 

accountability. 

It is a win-win agenda; and we certainly, as I often say, God 

bless you, and I love everybody, but we have got to get this done. 

We have that can-do attitude and with that spirit, we have—actually, we have everyone in the State as well as our Federal partners 

who will report on a weekly basis. Every Friday, we have a good 

old tent meeting at the Governor’s Office where each of these programs are reported on and we look at measures and measure 

where we are, where we are going and what the barriers are. And 

part of the opportunity is to address some of those barriers. 

So the office was originally created to provide a vehicle for the 

efficient deployment and coordination of funds and resources, but, 

also, Congressman, it was created to provide hope. Immediately 

after the disaster we had—through the grace of the good people of 

the country, we had some of the premier design professionals that 

lent themselves to the design turrets that we had in October of 

2005 when we sat down with community leaders who had neither 

a pot in their window at that time but needed the ability to see 

what tomorrow could look like with encouragement, and that became the foundation for our department plan. And as we seek to 

continue to carry that out, we do that through a series of active 

measurement and accountability. 

I will also add that FEMA will play an active role in that. Immediately after the disaster, FEMA, through its function, met with 

the various districts and identified recovery priorities, and we have 

43 

continued to remain engaged with FEMA in asking them to provide 

resources, which they have done. But additional resources were 

needed to fulfill that plan that they put together as a roadmap for 

recovery. 

Mr. REICHERT. That was going to be my next question, is your 

relationship with FEMA. 

So I am going to assume that since you are talking about performance measures and barriers and designs, that those performance measures and barriers are documented in some hard form or 

on the computer somewhere. Would it be possible for us to get a 

copy of those performance measures and barriers? 

Mr. MCDONALD. Absolutely. I would be more than glad to do just 

that. 

Mr. REICHERT. When you said FEMA set some recovery priorities, is that also in a format that we might be able to receive that? 

Mr. MCDONALD. I believe some 94 objectives were identified and 

in cooperation with FEMA experts through the ESF–14 at the various local jurisdictions, and those were adopted and ratified by the 

local governing entities, and so those are a component part of what 

the community in working with FEMA have identified as recovery 

objectives. 

Mr. REICHERT. If I could have one quick follow-up. 

On the priorities, I would assume then that there were some filters that were used to develop those priorities. The filters also— 

are they in use as you continue through your day and try to address the recovery issues, as you look at which priorities do you address first? 

Mr. MCDONALD. And those are driven at the local level. We are 

in active communications. As a matter of fact, Ashley Edwards, one 

of my policy advisers on the coast, lost a home, has been there 

since day one. And we work daily, six days a week—actually, with 

six and a half days. Sunday morning we asked to be off, if we can, 

to remove those barriers. 

We are working, Congressman, at a feverish pace. We generally 

believe what I have said in the testimony, that the window is closing in our ability to get things done. We recognize that the next 

disaster will bring a change in this landscape. 

Mr. REICHERT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you very much. 

We now yield for 5 minutes to Mr. Carney. 

Mr. CARNEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman; and I want to thank the 

panel for showing up today. This is very interesting. 

Mr. Castellani, in your testimony, you stated that the Business 

Roundtable works closely with the Department Office of Federal 

Coordinator. What should the Department do to ensure the ongoing 

success with programs like this initiative? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. One of the things that has been addressed several times has been the issue that has faced us the most, is we 

have both done the near-term responses as well as the long-term 

response; and that is the ability to identify needs where they occur, 

how they can be met. In other words, the basics of supply chain 

management. 

What we think can be improved and should be improved is the 

ability of the Department to coordinate that capability. 

44 

Mr. CASTELLANI. In fact, after Katrina and after the corporate response to it, we created a special study group that was headed up 

by Ken Chenault of American Express, and that was the single biggest issue that all of our member companies pointed to as being a 

frustration in response, and that is the inability to have a clear 

supply chain management infrastructure from the Federal level 

right down to the ground at the immediate need level. So that is 

probably the biggest thing that we would recommend for the Department to do, and I think that is a work that still needs to be 

done. 

Mr. CARNEY. So, in your opinion, that would help ensure the success well into the future? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. We believe so. I mean one of the things that we 

had seen time and time again was the inability to match the capability with the need because there was no central point and coordination between central and disperse points in being able to identify 

that need and communicate it. 

Mr. CARNEY. I understand. Thank you very much. 

Ms. Baskerville, you stated that HBCUs are uniquely situated 

and often service first responders in surrounding communities. Can 

you elaborate a little bit on that? 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. They are located in Tornado Alley. They are 

in areas that are prone to hurricanes. So natural disasters. They 

are in the Southeast. They are along border States, and they are 

in those types of areas, but in terms of other potential types of 

emergencies, they are either located in rural and remote areas, 

areas of high distress, traditionally underresourced, or they are in 

urban areas, by and large, areas of high distress, traditionally 

resourced, and they are around the types of capitals and other facilities that would make them not only prime targets for attacks 

but prime resources for strengthening the community and protecting the community. 

Now, in order to get to that point, they are— 

Mr. CARNEY. Well, in what ways? In what ways? 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. I am sorry? 

Mr. CARNEY. In what ways are they the prime sources of 

strengthening for the community? 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. Because of their location and their resources 

in the form of faculty, staff, administrators, and students, others 

who need training, and that goes to my second point and the most 

important point. 

Presently, they are not and they have not been designated as disaster-resistant institutions. However, with resources from Homeland Security, there is a need and a willingness to make them disaster-resistant campuses, to provide them with the training so that 

they can then train trainers and serve as first responders for their 

communities. 

Mr. CARNEY. OK. Thank you very much. 

Mr. McDonald, you talked about the destruction of small businesses in Mississippi. How many of these businesses have been restored? 

Mr. MCDONALD. Well, Congressman, I do not have specific numbers on the number of businesses that have been restored, but I 

can give you the feel of the landscape. 

45 

I think one of the questions earlier was about repopulating and 

how do you get folks back, and I would suggest that it is through 

jobs and housing. Our small businesses were a part of and are a 

part of this recovery, and as we are able to restart the engine, as 

we are able to deploy the dollars that have been made available, 

those small businesses are able to enjoy vitality and success. 

Mr. CARNEY. I appreciate that. 

Can you provide the committee at some point not too far down 

the road a list of, certainly, kind of raw numbers of those that have 

applied versus those that have been put back on their feet in the 

meantime? 

Mr. MCDONALD. Absolutely. 

Mr. CARNEY. I would appreciate that. 

Mr. Johnson, finally, I appreciate your testimony, and I have 

kind of a broader question. 

Can you describe some of the recent struggles, the more recent 

struggles, you have seen in the areas ravaged by the hurricane? 

Mr. JOHNSON. Recent struggles of the organizations trying to provide services or the community members, themselves? 

Mr. CARNEY. Both. 

Mr. JOHNSON. Well, I think that we still see not only in Mississippi but also in New Orleans an inability to gain access to communities that were abandoned whether it is homeowners who have 

a difficult time getting insurance payments, dealing with insurance 

companies, whether it is those who do not have the resources to 

come back to a community where they have been homeowners for 

decades and who are willing to at least begin to assess what the 

real costs would be to rebuilding. Many families still do not even 

have an idea of what the cost would be to rebuild because they 

have not been able to gain access due to a lack of resources, but 

then we are also seeing very basic needs. So the reacclimation of 

students into schools and the reality that—I think there has been 

a conversation about emotional stress and mental stress with 

schoolchildren especially. That has not been adequately dealt with. 

So we have young people who are attempting to be reacclimated 

into public schools but who are still dealing with stresses of this 

unbelievable experience that no one is talking to them about, and 

the organizations that are on the ground in many cases are still 

dealing with staffing capacity issues. So I cannot reiterate enough 

the fact that I think that there have been people who have been 

on the ground since week one and who have stayed on the ground 

with very little compensation and very little capacity-building resources from their organization speaks to the commitment level. 

They have been able to create niches in different service areas, 

which speaks of their ability to evolve to the situation, but there 

really has to be, I think, a more concentrated effort on strategic 

partnerships that target specific areas with very clear deliverables 

and areas of impact to ensure, from the corporate level to the policy 

level to the grass roots level, that we are creating these comprehensive partnerships that have very clear deliverables and timelines 

that I think will have a greater impact than some of more sporadic 

and loose partnerships that we have seen exist up until this point 

in time. 

Mr. CARNEY. Thank you very much. 

46 

No more questions, Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you very much. 

I will now yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Mr. 

Green. 

Mr. GREEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. Chairman, I especially thank you for this outstanding panel. 

We have been served quite well by their insight. 

Let me start by indicating that I am very concerned with the 

rate of progress, as is the case with all persons here, I am sure, 

when we understand that Congress has appropriated $110 billion 

and half of that remains unspent. $17 billion has gone to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Approximately $1.7 

billion has reached the actual victims of Katrina; $42 billion to 

FEMA, $25 billion spent; $5.8 billion to repair levies, $1.3 billion 

spent. 

So we have appropriated a lot of money, and we are finding that 

a lot of money has not been spent. Now, I understand that we did 

not have a paradigm in place for this kind of disaster, but I am 

concerned with reference to how is it that we can promote the most 

expeditious utilization of the assets that have been made available. 

It seems to me, just based upon what you said, Mr. Johnson, that 

somebody ought to understand that we need to spend some money 

on counseling. I have talked to people who have tears welling in 

their eyes when they have explained their circumstances, and I am 

talking about recently that it happens. In Houston, Texas, we had 

children who had come in from Louisiana and from New Orleans, 

and they had their various acts of friction with kids from Texas— 

the two cultures, in a sense, were clashing—and it just seems to 

me that we should have done more to understand that the human 

condition is still in a recovery mode, and while we can rebuild facilities, we have some people who need some rebuilding as well. 

I want you, if you would, to say just a little bit more about your 

experience with the kids and with their ability to try to handle 

these circumstances post Katrina. 

Mr. JOHNSON. Well, I think it is existing on a number of levels, 

and I think you mentioned one of them. 

If we are dealing with older children and issues of violence in 

communities where there has been one group that has merged with 

another group, I think we do a disservice to—I think I hear too 

often the title of ‘‘these crazy people from New Orleans’’ or ‘‘these 

gangster people from New Orleans’’ or whatever the term is. I do 

not often hear us dealing with the reality, especially in a city like 

Houston, where there were already poor people who were struggling for resources in the city, and now you have exacerbated that 

by adding another group of poor and displaced people who are now 

fighting for the same housing, the same jobs but with little, I think, 

interaction with them on that human level and the counseling 

level, but there is also a lack of resources information that is provided for them to understand the process. So I think that is part 

of it. 

To directly answer your question, I have dealt with more college 

students than anything else, and I think college students have 

been ignored on a number of levels because they are viewed, in 

many cases, as adults who have the flexibility to move and to do 

47 

something different, but the reality is they have had to deal with 

the psychological effects of losing everything, of being displaced 

from academic careers that in many cases are now difficult to get 

back on track, who are now dealing with exacerbated financial 

issues and being unable to concentrate in class because ‘‘I am getting ready to lose the 3-month grace period on my student loan 

that is going to default.’’ 

Mr. GREEN. And I do want you to finish, but I want to ask a couple of other questions. I have got about 32 seconds left. Quickly, let 

me ask Mr. Castellani: 

What is the gender and the ethnicity of the people who are being 

served? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. They are predominantly minority, predominantly African American. 

Mr. GREEN. And gender? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. Predominantly male. 

Mr. GREEN. Quickly to Mr. McDonald. 

Mr. McDonald, sir, your paradigm seems to have succeeded to a 

greater extent than some other paradigms, and my question to you 

is: What did you do at Genesis such that you now have a better 

experience at Revelations? 

Finally, to Ms. Baskerville, the politics of this have not been 

properly addressed. We still have people who cannot vote in Louisiana who are living in Texas. What can HBCUs do to help us to 

develop a paradigm such that we can make sure no one is 

disenfranchised? When we can have satellite voting in other countries around the world, it would seem to me that there ought to be 

a paradigm that can accommodate people who live across the line 

in Houston, Texas such that we do not see the face of the politics 

change by virtue of the natural disaster that, obviously, we want 

to try to recover from. 

I yield back the balance of my time. Hopefully, I can hear some 

answers. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. MCDONALD. If I might, Mr. Chairman. I can briefly answer 

your question, Mr. Congressman. 

I would say that, with Genesis to Revelations, one of the things 

that Mississippi did was that Moses came down from the mountain 

with the Commandments. The Governor came down with a very 

clear understanding and tone, and there was measurement and accountability, and we are all very clear that the rapture will come 

if we do not meet those expectations, and it is with that focus that 

with what we can control that we internally work with our State 

partners and our Federal partners to identify those barriers on a 

weekly basis. I know you are tired of hearing me say that, but on 

a weekly basis, what is our progress? Where are we going? What 

is the barrier? What can we do about it? It is a sustained focus. 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. NAFEO has worked and is continuing to work 

with the National Black Caucus of State Legislators and with others to engage our students in particular but others on the campus 

in helping to identify and, first of all, return those persons who can 

go back to the New Orleans area so that they can participate in 

the electoral process. 

We presently have a request for funding that would enable our 

students to go out and help count heads with the census so that 

48 

we can identify people who have been removed and, most importantly, reconnect them with their home base so that, in turn, they 

will be able to get the type of Federal resources and other things 

that flow from the census count. 

In the election that just passed, we sent teams of workers from 

our campuses, not only at Prairie View and Texas Southern but 

others in Texas and others around the country, and we are continuing to do that, and I agree that we have to play, and we are, 

again, well-situated, well resourced. We have people who we can 

put on the ground at any moment to do that. Many of them come 

from the affected communities, and so they are well-received. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you very much. 

We now recognize the ranking member for 5 minutes for questions. 

Mr. KING. I thank the chairman for yielding, and I will not take 

my 5 minutes. I was delayed in New York, and I missed the first 

part of the hearing. I read some of the testimony, and I have been 

going through the statements. I have just heard part of the hearing 

today. 

So I just want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for having the hearing. It is, obviously, an issue which must be addressed. Nothing 

bothers me more than people who parachute and ask questions 

that have already been asked or ask and go back over, so I am not 

going to impose any questions on you. 

I will thank you for your testimony today. I will thank the chairman for having the hearing and assure him of my cooperation and 

the cooperation of the minority in working with you as we go forward in dealing with Katrina. 

I yield back. 

Chairman THOMPSON. Thank you very much. That was a fine 

comment you made. 

We will now recognize the gentlelady from New York, Mrs. 

Lowey. Mrs. Christensen is going to take the chair. 

Mrs. LOWEY. Well, OK. 

Well, let me thank the chairman, too, for holding this very important hearing. I wish we could get the job done and stop having 

the hearings on it, Mr. Chairman. This has been going on for a 

long time, and I appreciate your activism on these issues, and I 

thank the panel for your testimony. 

One of the many problems that is brought to my attention is the 

inability to find affordable housing on the gulf coast. More than a 

year and a half after Hurricane Katrina, more than 90,000 families, as we know, are still living in trailers, and this is outrageous. 

It is not acceptable. It seems to me that we have to really work to 

transition people to permanent residences and do everything we 

can to facilitate the repair and the construction of affordable housing. 

A specific problem that I have noticed is that landlords are largely unable to receive grants to repair property which is not their primary residence, and this means that anyone who rents low—or 

moderate-income housing to tenants must be able to secure a loan 

to make necessary repairs before a displaced family can find a 

more permanent place to live. 

49 

I have been working on legislation to address this issue to provide assistance to landlords who will make repairs and provide affordable housing for displaced individuals. Pre-Katrina renter levels in New Orleans were over 50 percent. So, essentially, these 

former renters are homeless. 

Mr. McDonald, in your experience in Mississippi, have you noticed problems associated with landlords not being able to rebuild 

the units for their tenants because they have financial hardship? 

Then I would be interested to know if anyone else on the panel 

could comment on this issue. 

Mr. MCDONALD. Thank you, Congresswoman, for the question, 

for the inquiry. 

We certainly have. It is only natural that the first level of focus 

for the local landlord is taking care of their house and getting that 

back into good shape. What Mississippi has done through the use 

of its CDBG monies is we are currently in the public comment period. We have 3 days remaining in our public comment period 

where we are seeking with some $150 million worth of CDBG 

money to incent the construction of 5,000 affordable rental homes. 

In order to participate in the program, an eligible applicant would 

have to, among other things, commit to keep it affordable for a 5- 

year period as the plan is currently drafted, and those affordable 

rates are as defined by HUD and would apply to those at 80 percent of the AMI or below. There is a provision where, based on the 

number of units constructed, a portion of those could be for 120 

percent of AMI or below but certainly affordable housing. We are 

very excited about that plan, and we really genuinely believe that 

that is a critical part of a solution but also in bringing some peace 

to the folks who we find who cannot locate or would like to secure 

that affordable housing who are still occupying FEMA travel trailers, you know, some 2 years after the disaster. 

Mrs. LOWEY. Now, a good portion of your testimony mentions 

Global Match and issues surrounding non-Federal match requirements. After Hurricane Andrew and Septemberμ11th, the Federal 

Government waived the 25-percent matching requirement, and it is 

unbelievable that the administration has not chosen to take the 

same step after the unprecedented amount of damage sustained 

along the gulf coast from Hurricane Katrina. 

Could you comment on how would a waiver for non-Federal cost 

share requirement speed recovery, and has Governor Barbour requested that the administration waive the requirements? 

Mr. MCDONALD. Well, to distinguish between the issues—and 

they get rather muddy quickly—but the PA match, the public assistance match, and the Global Match are two separate and distinct 

issues. Of course, Mississippi has set aside the monies for its PA 

match. The foundation for that, of course, in this disaster were that 

PA monies were paid at 100 percent for categories A and B, the 

nonpermanent work, so there is no match for that work. In Mississippi’s case, in round numbers, that was about $1 billion of our 

$2 billion PA obligation. So, for that portion, there is no local 

match required, and that is why I suggested it in my testimony as 

one of the reasons why we are eager to see that those PWs are 

closed out and moved forward. 

50 

For the permanent work, of course the issue of match is that of 

good stewardship and cost control, simply stated, that the local 

community has an investment, an economic investment, in making 

sure that the best deal that can be obtained is obtained in the procurement of that work. We have worked with our local communities and continue to work with them on the issues that present 

themselves, but the hazard mitigation money, the 25-percent Global Match for hazard mitigation, is one that I, as a numbers person, 

really struggle with because this is an option that FEMA has provisions to allow, and we really would like for them to embrace that 

and to work with us to remove the barriers to removing that, some 

$135 million worth of obligations from the backs of the locals. 

Mrs. LOWEY. Well, I thank you, and I see my time is up. I would 

just be interested in if you see any movement, any response to this 

request. 

Mr. MCDONALD. At present, we have had good conversation at all 

levels, and I mean that sincerely. They have responded—we truly 

do work 6–1/2 days a week. As a matter of fact, at the conclusion 

of today, I hope to have additional conversation on just the Global 

Match issue. It is a policy interpretation that FEMA is struggling 

to get right, and we certainly want to assist them with that. 

Mrs. LOWEY. Thank you. 

Thank you, Madam Chair. 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. [Presiding] Thank you. Thank you for your 

questions. I would like to welcome the panel and recognize myself 

for 5 minutes. 

I just want to join my other colleagues in just voicing my frustration with some of the slowness that we have seen, particularly in 

New Orleans but also in Mississippi in our recovery, and I just recently received this update on New Orleans, May 2007, and there 

is still so much that needs to be done. I have one question for each 

of you. 

Mr. Castellani, I think you answered it to Mr. Green about the 

ethnicity and gender. My question was more to what percent of the 

people or how many of the people you are training are from the affected areas. 

Mr. CASTELLANI. Almost all. 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Almost all. OK. 

The program sounds like a very good one. Is it one that you 

think should be replicated? You talked about some of the programs 

you use. Some businesses have funded some parts. Labor has funded others. 

Are there enough programs already in place to replicate this 

someplace else or should we look at creating something? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. No. I think the experience—the programs are 

there. The experience that we have gained in working with the 

States and in working with the community colleges and in working 

with the municipalities is something that should be transferred 

around the country. This is not just a shortage in the gulf region; 

it is a shortage around the country but exacerbated by the hurricanes. More importantly, it is an opportunity for people who had 

no skills to get a well-paid, highly skilled job. 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you. 

51 

Ms. Baskerville, it is good to see you. I remember our meeting 

in New Orleans at your annual conference back a few years ago, 

and you have come a long way since then even though I know we 

have a lot more that needs to be done, so I want to congratulate 

NAFEO on your hard work and your leadership over these last couple of years. 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. Well, I want to thank you and thank you for 

the giving of your time to come down and to be a part of the field 

hearing that we were having at the time when we heard firsthand 

what was going on, not only with the HBCUs but with the community and particularly those least advantaged, but I thank you. 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. We will be back. 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. NAFEO is looking forward to having our Presidential Peer this summer in your district, and we are hoping we 

will see you there. 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Great. You know, my question to you is—I 

have been dealing a lot, as you can imagine, with the health community, and a lot of doctors had to leave, and other health professionals had to leave, and some of them have not been able to return. 

Have most of your teachers, your professors, your faculty returned? 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. Many of them have returned, and some have 

returned with the assistance from the National Institute of Minority Health. We are at about 80 percent capacity. Then we have had 

some health professionals who were not in the immediately affected 

area who have come in who are offering physical health, mental 

health and other types of— 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. But your faculty has come back? 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. About 80 percent of our faculty has returned. 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. That is good. 

Mr. McDonald— 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. May I just respond for one moment on the 

question to Mr. Castellani? 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Sure. 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. I want to offer, in the event that he does not 

know, that the City College of Chicago, which is a NAFEO member, has one of the country’s leading programs to train diverse construction workers, and I am sure you are connected with them, but 

if not, I would love to connect you with Chancellor Wayne Watson 

and involve them because they testified at the hearing in New Orleans and said that they stand ready to not only help to train folks 

but to involve many of those who they have trained in the rebuilding effort. 

Mr. CASTELLANI. Great. 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. Thank you. 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. OK. Thank you for adding that. 

Mr. McDonald, in your testimony, you talked about housing and 

education and small business. I wanted to ask a question about 

your health care system. 

New Orleans was pretty well wiped out. Was it not as bad in 

Mississippi? Wherever you were right after the storm, where are 

you in terms of your recovery? 

52 

Mr. MCDONALD. Madam Chair, I cannot speak in direct comparison to New Orleans. I can tell you my sense is that that situation 

was devastating because, as you know, we faced an unheralded 

hurricane. Louisiana faced, you know, two hurricanes and a flood. 

They were 90 days awaiting water to recede, and we were 90 days 

into recovery. So I really cannot speak to their State. 

I can tell you that our health care system was significantly impacted, and as a result of Federal resources as well as State resources, great strides have been made in recovery. In terms of the 

state of the health care system today, I believe that it is much, 

much closer to where it was prior to Katrina, and frankly, I think 

it has allowed us to develop capacity in a more robust health care 

system. 

However, I can tell you that many of those plans are still in the 

development and implementation phases, and so we are by no 

means where we want to be, but we feel good about the direction 

in which we are moving. 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you. 

Mr. Johnson, just from experience, we know that if it were not 

for the faith-based and not-for-profits and groups like yours, we 

would have been a lot worse off in the gulf region. I was just wondering, since I remember getting calls from the National Medical 

Association and doctors not being able to get in to help, did you 

face many barriers getting in, and what can we do to fix that? 

What would you suggest? 

Mr. JOHNSON. Well, I think, very early, it was difficult getting 

in. I do not think that would be a problem now. Again, for me, I 

think at this point it is about supporting organizations that are on 

the ground, and so supporting organizations that have already 

been there adds the ability to assist those who are coming in because they need an ambassador, if you will, to those local communities. So I do not believe at this point that there is as much difficulty in getting in. I think that the organizations on the ground 

as well as the corporate partners and others have done a good job 

of publicizing themselves enough for those who come in from the 

outside who want to help, but they have a tributary to do so. 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you. 

Thank you, Mr. Jindal, for allowing Congresswoman Jackson Lee 

to ask her questions so that she can get to her other hearing. 

I now recognize Congresswoman Jackson Lee for 5 minutes. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Let me thank the chairperson of the committee and the acting chairperson. I want to acknowledge that if 

there is a champion for the issues of the gulf coast, it is our chairman, Mr. Thompson, working very closely with Chairman King. 

Allow me to welcome the Alamo Community College, which is in 

the room, and I hope that they are gaining a great deal of experience in terms of, hopefully, sensing the concern of this committee 

for what I think is a very crucial issue. 

I do want to express my appreciation, as I begin, for the witnesses—Mr. Castellani, Ms. Baskerville, Mr. McDonald, and Mr. 

Johnson. Certainly, as we in a very appreciative way speak of 

Lezli, we thank you so very much for your passion and what you 

have faced over the last couple of months as it relates to our universities. 

53 

Let me do this, Madam Chair. I would like to ask unanimous 

consent to put in this series of pictures submitted by the Moreau 

family, of Meraux, Louisiana, that really speak to the continuing 

devastation that is going on. Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent to put these into the record. 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Without objection, so ordered. 

[The information follows:] 


48914-2.eps 48914-3.eps
54 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Thank you. 

I then want to take time, if I can put my hands on it, to read 

from an article—and maybe Mr. Johnson is aware of this group— 

that was in the USA Today on Monday, the 21st. Let me just read 

it for the record. 

People—black, white, Hispanics—live without electricity, 

plumbing and any kind of economic stability. Virtually all businesses, big and small, remain vacant ruins. New Orleans has 

essentially become America’s forgotten city. Although initially 

only a natural disaster, in its aftermath Hurricane Katrina has 

exposed the inhumanity of all of our Federal and State governments and the corporate business community. 

So my line of questioning will be, first, to acknowledge and appreciate the private sector, but it will be a mountain of frustration. 

How do we get where we have been trying to get for 2 years? We 

want to have a magic wand. I do not know if it is a magic wand. 

It is meticulous. It is steady. So I will go down, and if I can get 

cryptic answers, I appreciate it because I do have a number of 

those questions. 

Mr. Castellani, I know that you are dealing with businesses, and 

my frustration is, of course, that the numbers of small—and medium-sized minority businesses who are still in Houston, for example, are not able to access funds. How do they access you and what 

you are doing? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. Well, they can access us through any of the 

partners if, in fact, for our activity they need workers who can help 

in reconstruction. Specifically in Houston, our partner is the Houston Business Roundtable and the Houston Community College System. So, if they access that or call us at ‘‘1 (800) IMGREAT,’’ we 

will get that— 


48914-4.eps
55 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Do you have the percentage of businesses you 

have been able to help or the number? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. The businesses that have been able to help in 

the training— 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. No, that you have been able to help or those 

that have been able to access your resources. 

Mr. CASTELLANI. No, I do not. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Do you know if it is 10 percent or 25 percent? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. No, ma’am. Our focus is on the training of individuals who will then go get employment and who are getting employment at construction companies for rebuilding the area. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Do you know how many of those individuals 

have gone to small—and medium-sized minority construction companies? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. I do not know what the break is. No, we do not. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Would you be kind enough to share those 

numbers and possibly share the numbers of the businesses that 

you have impacted by these trained individuals? 

Mr. CASTELLANI. Yes. 

[The information follows:] 

56 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Ms. Baskerville, I know that, historically, 

black colleges are strong; they are survivors. Let me make mention 

of the trials and tribulations of those students who were holed up, 

if you will, on the fourth and fifth floors, I believe it was, at Xavier 

who had to be literally rescued and who were almost forgotten, and 

our hearts go out to them and to their families. 

What has the U.S. Department of Education done to particularly 

focus on the plight of the black colleges impacted or to reach out 

to your organization to be helpful? 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. Working with NAFEO, the Department of 

Education initially rechanneled its TRIO dollars so that dollars 

could go directly to institutions that were ravaged but also to those 


48914-1.eps
57 

that were receiving them, because as you talked about the students 

who were displaced and so forth, we requested that the black college community incorporate them in their campuses, and so the Department immediately stepped up and did that. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. And because my time is going, can I just do 

a series? 

Have they continued to help? Can they do more, is the question. 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. Well, they certainly can do more. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. For example, as to those individuals who find 

themselves out of school for a semester, have they been sensitive 

to that Pell Grant repayment or loan grant repayment? 

Ms. BASKERVILLE. Yes. They work with us, and we now have legislation that allows for special circumstances with regard to Stafford and other loans and Pell, and we are continuing to work with 

them on those issues. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Would you provide us in writing what you 

would hope that the Department of Education could do more of? I 

think it is important. The public-private partnerships, you all have 

done a great job, but I hope that you would focus as well on what 

more they could do. 

If the chairwoman would indulge me, I would like to get to Mr. 

Johnson and just make a statement to Mr. McDonald. 

Mr. McDonald, there was a constituent in my district this past 

weekend from Pascagoula, a senior citizen, who said she has not— 

I do not have her name, but if I can, my office will try to get you 

her card information. She has indicated that she is still without 

dollars to reconstruct her home. I know that there is a distinction 

between people’s means. So I will just leave that on the table. 

Mr. Johnson, why don’t you just do as you have always done, 

truth to power? The private partnership is vital, but could you give 

us three points that the Federal Government has to do, from your 

perspective, before we can get from point A, maybe, to point M or 

to point Z in the alphabet? 

Mr. JOHNSON. First and foremost, I think there should be greater 

strategy on the ground in one’s assessing what needs to be done 

from a housing perspective in particular and job creation, second, 

because I think that, in many cases, it has been left to the private 

sector to create that strategy in many cases; two, to be able to identify funds for grants for local organizations to increase capacity, 

provide resources for training, that those staffers would be able to 

increase capacity and create partnerships with the Federal agencies to ensure that they had the ability to build infrastructure for 

the services that they are providing; then lastly, identify dollars 

and partnerships with both private and public institutions to ensure that college students can continue to be the army of volunteers who are dispatched, not just to New Orleans but to the entire 

gulf coast region, so that we continue to have an army of people 

on the ground who are providing bodies inside and energy to make 

this effort long-term and real. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank you. 

Mr. McDonald, one quick question. There are many people in 

trailers. Don’t you think it would be better if we could get prefab 

houses on the ground or constructed houses on the ground— 

‘‘prefab’’ I would call them—or temporary houses on the ground 

58 

and get them out of these trailers both in Mississippi and in Louisiana? 

Mr. MCDONALD. Absolutely, I think getting them out of the trailers in both is primary, and that is something— 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Well, we want to work with both States on 

that, and I am only moving quickly because of the time, but you 

have laid the groundwork. We need to do it. 

Mr. Johnson, you have laid the frustration or the framework of 

the frustration which many of us would like to see expanded. The 

article that I mentioned to you—and I want to put another article 

in as I conclude—was—and I will name the group—a group called 

Emergency Communities, and these were college students who 

came. You are absolutely right. They want to come. How can they 

be protected? When I was there, some of them were injured; they 

had health care issues, of course, because they were working hard. 

Madam Chair, may I just put into the record and ask for a report 

again? I have asked repeatedly. This is an article from Facing 

South, No Road Home for Katrina Evacuees. Again, ICF, the atrocious lack of action of this contractor. It has to do with the catastrophe that tens of thousands of houses remain vacant because 

they have not had the journey home— 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Without objection. 

The lady’s time has long expired. 

I now yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana. 

[The information follows:] 

The Institute for Southern Studies 

FACING SOUTH 

BLOGGING FOR A PROGRESSIVE sOUTH 

MONDAY, MAY 14, 2007 

No ‘‘Road Home’’ for Katrina evacuees 

After Hurricane Katrina struck 20 months ago, it took nearly a year before federal and state lawmakers even created a program to help homeowners displaced by 

the storm. As we reported in February 2007 (pdf), 18 months after the storm Louisiana’s infamous ‘‘Road Home’’ plan —derisively called the ‘‘Road Block’’ program by 

locals—had only given money to 97 out of 130,000 homeowners who had asked for 

assistance. 

Thanks to a spending spree in the last month, that number has now gone up to 

16,000 (still only 12% of the total)—just in time for the program to run out of money, 

as the Washington Post reported this weekend: 

The massive federally funded program for rebuilding Louisiana homes is 

short nearly $3 billion, administrators told a state legislative panel here 

today, leaving uncertain for now how the owners of roughly 100,000 floodwrecked houses here will be compensated. [. . .] 

More than 20 months after the Katrina catastrophe, tens of thousands of 

houses remain vacant, in part because of administrative delays in the air 

program, the largest single source of direct federal help for homeowners. To 

date, only 16,000 of 130,000 applicants have received money. 

What’s the cause of this astounding failure? 

Many point to the out-sourcing of the Road Home program to ICF Emergency 

Management Services, which received a $756 million, three-year contract to run 

it. ICF EMS is a subsidiary of ICF International, which has gotten 72% of its work 

in recent years from federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security. 

But none of these jobs have involved administering major programs for consumers, 

as the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported last December: Typical contracts, according to the company’s public filings, involved work such as conducting training 

exercises and drills each year to test emergency preparedness in regions with nuclear 

power plants. 

Last year, when it was clear the program was failing, the Louisiana state house 

voted 97–1 to approve a resolution demanding Gov. Kathleen Blanco cancel the contract with ICF—but state leaders ultimately decided against it because it could involve losing even more money. 

59 

Meanwhile, ICF had done well for itself. After landing the Road Home contract 

last year, they raked in $49 million from a public stock offering last October, which 

had benefits for ICF employees: 

So far. . .the contract has been very good for ICF. After the company went 

public, it distributed $2.7 million in one-time bonuses to 30 of its top managers. 

If only the thousands of families still locked out of their homes in New Orleans 

were so lucky. 

Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank Mr. Jindal for his kindness. Thank 

you. 

Mr. JINDAL. I thank my colleague. 

I thank the chairman as well. 

I also want to thank our panel for their hard work and for their 

testimony. I have really got two different sets of questions, and I 

will address them to the entire panel. 

The first set really has to do—I want to build on what my colleagues have spoken about today. I know my colleagues have been 

astonished to learn about how long FEMA has known about these 

travel trailers that have been provided to thousands of residents in 

Louisiana and Mississippi, and many of these trailers have dangerous levels of formaldehyde. 

What is especially concerning is that FEMA and the EPA may 

have been aware of these health risks for several months. According to recent news reports, 83 percent of these trailers tested by 

an outside group, the formaldehyde levels were above the acceptable EPA exposure standards. That means, for several months, perhaps thousands of families, especially children and the elderly, may 

have been exposed to these toxic fumes, and there are health risks. 

So my first set of questions has to do with the level of this problem in Mississippi. I know the chairman of our full committee has 

expressed his concern about this issue in Mississippi. In addition 

to that, I know FEMA has allocated up to $281 million for the construction of three alternative housing units in Mississippi, and I 

am curious to learn if the States intend to use these alternative 

housing funds to move disaster victims out of some of these travel 

trailers. Then finally, on this first question, in terms of working in 

your State, has FEMA been responsive in releasing reports on the 

risks associated with exposure to the formaldehyde or other risks 

in being in these trailers? 

I have got a second group of questions. Let me start with that 

in terms of the danger of the trailers and the efforts you all are 

exercising to move people out of these trailers. 

Mr. MCDONALD. Well, Congressman, I will try to be brief out of 

respect for the balance of your questions. 

Of course, the primary answer to the travel trailer question is 

getting folks into permanent housing. Now, having said that, I am 

not the first person directly connected with the individual assistance, the IA portion of FEMA on the formaldehyde issue. I will tell 

you that I am the first person connected with them on getting good 

numbers on exactly what we have in travel trailers right now. That 

population is the population of focus. 

The $281 million that you mentioned in the alternative housing 

pilot program to create the models is well underway in deployment. 

I can tell you that we have dealt with issues associated with policy 

interpretation at the FEMA level. There have been some barriers 

60 

in helping us deploy those as quickly as we would want to. We 

have laid the contract. We have awarded the contract to begin the 

construction of those, and we expect full deployment certainly by 

the end of this year but much sooner than that. So that is part of 

the answer to the formaldehyde question. 

I have followed and continue to follow the issue as well, and 

again, our response is we are concerned about getting the residents 

out of there both for mental safety and physical safety because 2 

years after a disaster, to live in a FEMA travel trailer, is just unbearable. 

Mr. JINDAL. Absolutely. Do you have any sense of when you 

might be finished moving people out of trailers into permanent 

housing, alternative housing? 

Mr. MCDONALD. Well, we have certainly set deadlines for the alternative housing pilot program, which based on the way the bids 

come in, will create 4,000 to 6,000 units. The deployment of that 

is certainly by the end of this year, and again, I expect to exceed 

that significantly. 

Mr. JINDAL. That is great. Thank you. 

I will ask my second round of questions and certainly let the 

panel respond to either set of questions. 

Almost immediately after Katrina, Governor Barbour created the 

Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal to 

identify rebuilding or development options for the State. The commission comprised 20 committees—I do not need to tell the folks 

from Mississippi this—which held many public forums and whose 

work culminated in a final report in December of 2005 with 238 

policy recommendations with a range of rebuilding priorities and 

funding mechanisms, and I guess I have got two parts to my question. 

The first is: What are the biggest obstacles the State has faced 

in implementing this rebuilding plan? The second half of the question—and it is a little bit of a leading question, I will admit, but 

I feel strongly: Would FEMA’s—would the non-Federal match—if 

they would waive the State match and the local match especially 

with the hazard mitigation grant program, if they would just be 

consistent with what they have done in previous disasters, wouldn’t 

that assist the State in implementing this plan and assist the State 

in its recovery? 

Again, I know it is a leading question, and I think you know 

what I think on that question. 

The second half of my question has to do with the plan. What 

are some of the obstacles the State has faced? 

Mr. MCDONALD. Well, Congressman, I would say the biggest obstacles are organizing, sustaining, providing measurement in the 

midst of chaos, and let us recall that in these same communities, 

these folks who are kind enough to sit and plan and to set goals 

for the community are also dealing with the issue of no house, displaced family members, all of the issues that are present in this 

disaster. 

Part of our job is to provide that continuity and that sustained 

measure, so I would suggest that one of our largest obstacles is remaining on course, working with the Federal partners to make 

sure that we have a coordinated effort where HUD, FEMA, the 

61 

Federal Highway Administration, and various other Federal agencies are all pulling in the same direction, and that is the direction 

as defined by the community, not as defined from up high, but it 

is defined by the community. So making that a moving work in 

progress has been something that is of great importance and is a 

priority to us. It is our priority. That is what we do. 

The second part of your question on the match, as I stated be- fore, is we certainly identified for us $1 million worth of RPA 

money as category A. It is 100 percent money anyway. For the remaining $1 billion, that does involve a 90/10 percent match. In 

Mississippi’s case, the State picks up 5 percent, and 5 percent is 

left to the local, and provisions have been made in order to address 

that. 

In terms of big dollars—and I am a dollars guy—the big dollars 

are in the Global Match, and the request there is to allow the work 

that has already been done to count as that spirited-in-kind match. 

That would be a tremendous step towards fueling this recovery. 

Mr. JINDAL. All right. I want to thank the panel. 

Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time. 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you. Did you complete your questions? 

OK. We are about to close the hearing, and I thank the witnesses 

for their valuable testimony and the members for their questions. 

Before I close, I would like to say that the CCC was critical to 

building our Nation during the New Deal, and I think we need 

something similar for the gulf coast region. I am confident that the 

Department, through the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf 

Coast Rebuilding, could serve as a lead facilitator for a civilian disaster recovery corps, and if we continue to develop public-private 

partnerships and recognize the critical role played by states and 

local governments, the gulf coast will recover. The gulf coast will 

be rebuilt. The gulf coast will be revitalized, and the gulf coast residents will be able to return. 

Again, I would like to thank the witnesses for their valuable testimony. The members of the committee may have additional questions for the witnesses, and we would ask you to respond expeditiously in writing to those questions. 

Hearing no further business, the committee stands adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 11:55 a.m., the committee was adjourned.] 

(63) 

Appendix: Additional Questions and Responses 

QUESTIONS FROM THE U.S. OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

RESPONSES FROM JOHN J. CASTELLANI, BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE

Question 1.: What can the Department do to better engage potential collaborative partners? 

Response: Through the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, the Department of Homeland Security is a key partner in the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative (GCWDI). Initiative team members closely coordinate 

their efforts with the regional representatives of the Office of the Federal Coordinator. To engage additional collaborative partners in the Initiative, it would be extremely beneficial for elected officials and federal agency personnel to reference the 

Initiative in meetings they attend regarding Gulf Coast reconstruction. The active 

support of the Department would further validate the Initiative in the eyes of potential partner organizations, which would, in turn, broaden our partner team and further the Initiative’s reach. 

Question 2.: What is the role of the Office of the Federal Coordinator to 

the Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative? 

The Office of the Federal Coordinator provides the Initiative with key insights 

into government operations and contacts in government offices, which would otherwise be more complex. The office in New Orleans has been particularly helpful in 

connecting people, as well as addressing and working through many challenges the 

Initiative has encountered on the ground. 

Question 3.: The Roundtable’s members contributed $5 million to the Initiative, 

but your member companies give more than $7 billion in total charity contributions. 

Have you all discussed increasing the amount of funding that your member 

companies contribute to the effort? 

Response: Business Roundtable prepared an extensive implementation plan prior 

to undertaking the GCWDI and believes that the current $5 million contribution 

will be adequate to meet the Initiative’s stated goal. While funding is important, the 

joining of federal, state, local and private sector efforts have delivered training to 

over 8,000 new trainees. 

Question 4.: Through the Initiative, workers receive training to prepare 

them to assist in rebuilding efforts. Do you think the training workers receive would provide a good basis for integrating them into a more permanent Civilian Disaster Recovery Corps through the Department? 

Response: It is not clear to Business Roundtable what the job duties would be 

for those individuals recruited to serve in the Civilian Disaster Recovery Corps. 

However, it is our expectation that the graduates of the GCWDI training program 

would not be prepared for these assignments. With additional, specialized training, 

Initiative graduates should be able to work in the Recovery Corps. 

Question 5.: Mr. Castellani, you also state in your testimony that through Business Roundtable’s Partnership for Disaster Response Task Force you ensure that 

the private sector is fully integrated into the nation’s disaster response planning. 

What steps have you taken to ensure the private sector’s integration? 

a. In your opinion, what can the Department do to make these efforts 

easier? 

Response: As part of our ongoing efforts to work more closely with the federal 

government, we have met over the past year with several representatives from 

DHS, FEMA and White House staff and co-hosted a meeting with Fran Townsend, 

the President’s homeland security advisor, at the White House in December 2006 

with more than a dozen CEOs. 

64 

We would like to work more collaboratively with the Department on several issues 

moving forward, especially around improved communications both in advance and 

at the time of a disaster: 

(1) in advance of a disaster to better clarify what the government needs so the 

business community can plan for how to best contribute its resources and expertise; and 

(2) at the time of a disaster to understand how companies can immediately aid 

in the relief effort (donations of products and services) as well as overcome obstacles, such as credentialing and clearances, to gain access to disaster sites. 

Question 6.: Mr. Castellani, the I’m GREAT program proposes to train 20,000 

workers for the Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts. Is this a temporary program? Or 

do you plan on sustaining the program to address ongoing natural and 

man-made disasters? 

Response: Business Roundtable does not plan on playing an active role in sustaining the program after 2009, when the Initiative’s original goals are met. However, the Roundtable has taken steps to ensure that the recruitment techniques, 

training work processes and job placement methods are freely available to both government and private industry for future use. It is our hope that the on-the-ground 

relationships and processes will remain intact and continue to expand in order to 

continue the development of the workforce in the Gulf Coast well in to the future. 

Question 7.: Will these newly trained workers be integrated into your 

member companies? If not, what is the plan for the workers after the rebuilding efforts are complete in the Gulf Coast region? 

Response: The GCWDI’s assists training graduates with their employment 

search. The GCWDI actively works to engage local contractors with the program 

and trainees are predominantly employed by these contractors. Business Roundtable 

does not specifically recruit for its individual member companies. 

Both rebuilding efforts and new development are anticipated to continue in the 

region. Demand for construction professionals in the region is expected to continue 

to rise for the foreseeable future. The Initiative is providing trainees with the opportunity to take the first steps towards healthy, long-lasting careers in construction 

fields. 

Question 8.: You discussed the importance of broad support in recovery and rebuilding efforts. How closely are you working with labor organizations? 

a. How about institutions of higher education? 

b. How do you recruit individuals to participate in the program? 

The GCWDI actively works with labor unions. Labor union representatives are invited to participate in Initiative meetings and activities. Additionally, a number of 

unions recruit training graduates for entry into their registered apprenticeship programs. 

Institutions of higher education in the Gulf Coast region are key partners in the 

Initiative. The majority of training is performed at local community and technical 

colleges. 

The Initiative has several means of recruitment through the ‘‘I’m GREAT’’ campaign. This campaign maintains a website (wwww.imgreat.org) and a 24/7 call center (888–52–GREAT) and uses a range of marketing methods including print media 

and radio advertising. Individuals who are interested in joining the construction industry and participating in the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast are directed to either 

the website or call center to get more information about training opportunities. They 

are then referred to a local community college or one-stop to enroll. We have also 

found that word of mouth and family/friend referrals are an effective method of recruitment. 

Question 9.: In your testimony, you stated that Business Roundtable works closely with the Department’s Office of the Federal Coordinator. What should the Department do to ensure the ongoing success of programs like this Initiative? 

Response: The Department has done a good job of helping the Initiative make 

progress, particularly on the ground. They provided early guidance on the development of the Initiative’s implementation plan, assisted the Initiative in establishing 

relationships with key government officials, and actively mentioned the Initiative in 

meetings dealing with Gulf rebuilding. This same level of engagement would be beneficial to similar public-private partnerships in the future. 

Question 10.: You stated in your testimony that the Initiative has benefited from 

Pathways to Construction and National Emergency grants. Have you also received 

funding from state and local governments? 

65 

Response: The state of Louisiana has appropriated $15 million for workforce development, which has been instrumental in training successes to date. 

Question 11.: Please provide the Committee with the percentage of businesses you have been able to help. And the breakdown of small, minority 

and disadvantaged businesses assisted by your Initiative. 

Response: The focus of the Initiative is to recruit individuals for training who 

are in need of a steady career. Detailed demographics of the individuals trained 

under the U.S. Department of Labor’s Pathways to Construction grants are reported 

by the U.S. D.O.L. Employment and Training Administration. However, the Initiative does not document this type of specific information on the employers who hire 

trainees. 

QUESTIONS FROM THE HONORABLE BENNIE G. THOMPSON, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI

RESPONSES FROM BRYAN MCDONALD

Question 1.: What can the Department do to better engage potential collaborative partners? 

Response: The Department of Homeland Security has taken steps, such as the 

Homeland Security Information Network, to better engage collaborative partners at 

the state and local level during times of normal readiness. Pre-disaster and during 

the response phase, we believe that it is important for the Department of Homeland 

Security to embed key personnel within state and local decision makers’ operations 

centers to ensure real-time communications and collaborative interaction. During 

the post-disaster recovery phase, it remains important for the Department of Homeland Security to take proactive steps to ensure that staffing and resources are in 

place to quickly and efficiently perform all post-disaster functions, including Public 

Assistance closeout. 

Question 2.: In your testimony, you said that the state of Mississippi is 

requesting that FEMA meet a deadline for a staffing plan. Is your experience that state and local governments can provide critical support to Federal Government by being consistent eyes and ears to local issues? 

Response: During and after a disaster, State and local governments are on the 

lines and thus are able to provide valuable information and guidance to the Federal 

Government. The Federal Government, in all cases, should seek counsel and guidance the state when decisions are made that significantly affect state and local governments. 

Question 3.: You raise concerns that the local decisions made by FEMA may not 

carry weight throughout the agency. Will a stronger partnership between federal and state government address this issue? 

Response:Mississippi has maintained a strong partnership with the Federal Government throughout this disaster. In recognition of the strength of that partnership, 

we ask that FEMA Headquarters give deference to critical decisions made by local 

FEMA leadership and field personnel who worked closely with state and local officials while making those decisions. We believe it is important for decisions made 

by local FEMA leaders during the immediate post-disaster environment to be affirmed and upheld throughout the disaster recovery process. Such action on behalf 

serves to strengthen the partnership that already exists. 

Question 4.: You talked about the destruction of small business in Mississippi. 

How many of these businesses have been restored? 

Response: Due to the nature of the post-disaster environment in Mississippi, it 

is difficult to provide a precise number of the small businesses that have been restored. Many small businesses that received flood damage have relocated away from 

the waterfront, in some cases reopening in nearby cities and counties. Others small 

business owners have opened new businesses under different operating names. Additionally, a significant number of small businesses that did not exist before Hurricane Katrina have opened in the time since the disaster. The U.S. Small Business 

Administration reports in its 2006 Small Business Profile for Mississippi that the 

state has an estimated total of 209,100 small businesses, up from 197,586 and 

190,900 respectively during the the previous two years. The SBA also reports net 

increases in the number of jobs associated with Mississippi firms with fewer than 

500 employees. 

66 

Question 5.: Are you actively engaged in the Initiative with Business 

Roundtable? 

Response: Yes, the State of Mississippi is actively engaged in the Business 

Roundtable’s Gulf Coast Workforce Development Initiative. The Initiative has already launched training classes at several campuses in Mississippi and they are reporting high rates of job placement among their participants. 

Question 6.: You stated that several barriers to recovery still exist. What 

can the Department do to assist you in addressing these barriers? 

Response:The most important step the Department of Homeland Security can 

take to help remove the barriers to recovery that still exist is to assist the state 

with the issues outlined in my testimony, such as completion of the Public Assistance closeout process, completion of all outstanding project worksheets, FEMA headquarters’ acceptance of critical decisions made by local FEMA leadership and field 

personnel in the weeks and months immediately following the disaster, and acceptance of the state’s Global Match proposal. Additionally, the Department can assist 

in removing recovery barriers by committing to our proposed FEMA staffing plans, 

and helping to solve the issues surrounding reasonable cost standards. 

Question 7.: In your testimony, you raise a valid concern about whether 

FEMA staff will be prematurely removed from the Gulf Coast to meet the 

needs caused by another disaster. Do you think a civilian disaster corps 

within the Department may help address some of your concerns as they 

would not be regular employees of the Department? 

Response: The State of Mississippi hasn’t had an opportunity to study any proposals associated with a Civilian Disaster Corps. However, we would certainly be 

open to learning more about any initiative that would provide for a sufficient level 

and quality of federal personnel to remain in place to satisfactorily close out this 

disaster. 

Question 8.: Mr. McDonald, as you know, there are some parts of Mississippi 

that have much farther to go in recovery efforts. What else can the Department 

do to assist in the rebuilding and recovery process, especially for those citizens who have been left behind? 

Response:The State of Mississippi is working tirelessly to ensure that sustainable recovery occurs throughout the state, and particularly in the parts of Mississippi that bore the brunt of the storm. Likewise, we are working collaboratively 

with our federal, private sector, foundation, non-profit and faith-based partners to 

ensure that no citizens are left behind. The Department of Homeland Security can 

assist us in this effort by maintaining and strengthening the spirit of cooperation 

that exists among us. As the Department of Homeland Security continues to help 

us remove the barriers to recovery that still exist, Mississippi will have the tools 

it needs to continue to be a model for post-disaster recovery. We understand that 

our work to recover, rebuild, and renew will take years. We ask for the Department 

of Homeland Security’s continued assistance in helping us move forward. 

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