IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1577 

Observing the fifth anniversary of the date on which Hurricane Katrina 

devastated the Gulf Coast, saluting the dedication of volunteers who 

offered assistance in support of those affected by the storm, recognizing 

the progress of efforts to rebuild the affected Gulf Coast region, commending the persistence of the people of the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and reaffirming Congress’ commitment 

to restore and renew. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 29, 2010 

Mr. CAO (for himself, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. SCALISE, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. 

MELANCON, Mr. FLEMING, and Mr. ALEXANDER) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 

Infrastructure 

RESOLUTION 

Observing the fifth anniversary of the date on which Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, saluting the 

dedication of volunteers who offered assistance in support 

of those affected by the storm, recognizing the progress 

of efforts to rebuild the affected Gulf Coast region, commending the persistence of the people of the States of 

Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and reaffirming Congress’ commitment to restore and renew. 

Whereas, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina inflicted 

catastrophic damage as a Category 3 hurricane and 


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caused damage estimated at $81,000,000,000 in the 

States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida; 

Whereas Hurricane Katrina is 1 of the 5 deadliest hurricanes 

in United States history with a recorded 1,822 fatalities, 

including 1,577 in Louisiana, 238 in Mississippi, 14 in 

Florida, 2 in Georgia, and 2 in Alabama, according to 

the National Hurricane Center; 

Whereas more than 1,200,000 people were under some type 

of evacuation order, including New Orleans’ first mandatory evacuation in the city’s history; 

Whereas 785,000 Gulf Coast residents were displaced, and 

many remain displaced to this day; 

Whereas hundreds of thousands were unemployed as a result 

of devastation to businesses; 

Whereas tens of thousands of homes and businesses from 

Louisiana to Florida were destroyed by the flooding; 

Whereas 3,000,000 people were left without electricity for 

weeks; 

Whereas major highways were destroyed, including the Interstate 10 Twin Span Bridge connecting the cities of New 

Orleans and Slidell in Louisiana; 

Whereas the Louisiana Superdome sheltered 26,000 evacuees 

and suffered roof leaks and other significant damage 

from strong winds; 

Whereas neighboring cities and States took in thousands of 

displaced residents and provided medical care and shelter 

at make-shift hospitals, such as the Katrina Clinic at the 

Astrodome/Reliant Center Complex in Houston, Texas; 

Whereas the United States Coast Guard rescued more than 

24,273 people and assisted with the evacuation of 9,462 


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patients and medical personnel from hospitals and nursing homes; 

Whereas the United States Armed Forces orchestrated one of 

the largest domestic rescue operations in history, with 

command centers at the Emergency Operations Center in 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana, the 

Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, and Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; 

Whereas the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, 

Salvation Army, America’s Second Harvest (now known 

as Feeding America), Emergency Communities, Catholic 

Charities, PRC Compassion, Southern Baptist Disaster 

Relief, and other charitable organizations provided crucial 

food, water, and hygiene products to victims; 

Whereas countless first responders, such as police officers, 

emergency medical personnel, and firefighters, from 

across the United States worked around the clock to provide care for and to protect the safety of the residents 

of the affected communities; 

Whereas more than 70 countries and international organizations pledged monetary donations in excess of 

$854,000,000, including a pledge of $500,000,000 by the 

State of Kuwait, and $100,000,000 by the State of 

Qatar, which awarded 109 full tuition scholarships to 

Tulane University students affected by the storm and restored 100 homes for low-income victims in the historic 

Treme ́/Lafitte neighborhood of New Orleans; 

Whereas Louisiana’s Piggyback Program was created to support affordability for low-income residents in areas receivVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:57 Jul 30, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1577.IH HR1577

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ing Gulf Opportunity Zone Low Income Housing Tax 

Credits; 

Whereas the greater New Orleans Small Business Development Center helped more than 500 fishermen secure recovery funding through the Technical Assistance for 

Small Firms program; 

Whereas following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, 

medical residents and faculty, as well as grassroots organizations quickly mobilized to provide immediate health 

services and have since developed as a group of 25 organizations with over 90 sites and this group has built a 

unique, high quality, efficient, community-based primary 

care network for the greater New Orleans area and now 

serve as the primary source of health care for approximately 290,000 people; 

Whereas the Healthcare Recovery Training System 

(HeaRTS) at the Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center provided health care training to more than 

2,300 people, including 500 participants in the program 

who were displaced by the storm; 

Whereas the Jefferson Parish Chamber of Commerce and 

nonprofit Cafe ́ Reconcile in New Orleans offered culinary 

arts training for at-risk youth; 

Whereas the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration improved its storm tracking guidance by adding 8 

Caribbean observation buoys and expanding its satellite 

communication system network to include 25 coastal 

Weather Forecast Offices; 

Whereas in 2005, Congress directed the United States Army 

Corps of Engineers to deliver a plan to Congress for proVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:57 Jul 30, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1577.IH HR1577

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viding coastal Louisiana with Category 5-equivalent hurricane protection; 

Whereas the United States Army Corps of Engineers has not 

yet provided Congress with a concrete set of recommendations to achieve this level of protection; 

Whereas Louisiana loses approximately 25 square miles of 

coastal land each year and coastal restoration efforts 

along the Louisiana coast and barrier protection at the 

mouth of Lake Pontchartrain to protect against storm 

surge are necessary components of achieving Category 5- 

equivalent hurricane protection for South Louisiana; 

Whereas the United States Army Corps of Engineers has 

been constructing stronger levees by replacing failed IWall design floodwalls with stronger T-wall or L-wall design floodwalls and reinforcing the most vulnerable 

undamaged I-Walls and surge protection closures; 

Whereas these improved levees are an essential aspect of providing Category 5-equivalent hurricane protection; 

Whereas the convention and visitors bureaus across the Gulf 

Coast attempt to restore tourism, particularly the New 

Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, 

which won the bid to host the Super Bowl XLVII in 

2013; 

Whereas colleges and universities in the hurricane-ravished 

communities continue to struggle due to low enrollment 

and have been forced to restructure and reduce their programs; and 

Whereas social, economic, and mental health effects are compounded due to trauma suffered from the BP Deepwater 

Horizon Oil Spill and Hurricane Katrina: Now, therefore, 

be it 


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1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) expresses its support to the victims of Hur3 ricane Katrina; 

4 (2) commends the courageous efforts of those 

5 who assisted in the recovery progress; 

6 (3) recognizes the contributions of the commu7 nities in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Flor8 ida to the United States; and 

9 (4) reaffirms its commitment to rebuild, renew, 

10 and restore the Gulf Coast region. 

Æ 


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