Date: 2008-09-27
Speaker: DANIEL LUNGREN (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Cali

fornia. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H. Res. 1429. the resolution commemorating the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11. also promoting the month of September as National Preparedness Month. and commending the employees of the Department of Homeland Security and our Nations emergency response providers and law enforcement agents. This September. as we know. marks the fifth annual National Preparedness Month and the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11. H. Res. 1429 is a bipartisan resolution commemorating this important anniversary in our Nations history and reminding all Americans of the importance of emergency preparedness. While there has not been a terroxist attack on our U.S. soil since September 11. 2001. it is important to remember that terrorists continue to plan attacks against this Nation. its interests. and its allies abroad. It is not by accident that we have not had such a tragedy. It is. in fact. the result of tremendous work by men and women in uniform. in our agencies. first responders. the coordination thats taken place since then. the cooperation weve had with our allies in many. many other countries. But we must remain vigilant and ensure that all levels of government. nonprofit organizations. the private sector. individuals. and communities continue to prepare for terrorist attacks. natural disasters. or other emergencies. Each September. various Department of Homeland Security components. along with other Federal. State and local agencies. nonprofit organizations and the private sector take part in events to increase public awareness and encourage individuals to prepare themselves. their families. their businesses and their communities for emergencies. The Ready Campaign. which is within the Office of Public Affairs at the Department. along. with the Citizen Corps Program within the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA. helps educate individuals. families and communities on the steps that they can take to protect their loves ones in an emergency. For instance. individuals are encouraged to get an emergency- supply kit. make a family emergency plan. and be informed about different types of emergencies and the appropriate responses thereto. Since the Ready Campaign and National Preparedness Month were initiated in 2004. the effort has received over $703 million in donated media support. The www.ready.gov Web site has received over 2 billion hits. with almost 30 million unique visitors to the site. And the national 1800 number has received 345.000 calls. In addition. Ready has* partnered with Scholastic to provide emergency preparedness materials for the classroom to 400.000 teachers. and recently launched a partnership with Sesame Street to help educate preschoolage children and their parents on the need to prepare for emergencies. This resolution also commends the hard work and dedication of the Federal. State and local government employees. first responders. the private sector. and citizens across the country for their efforts to enhance the Nations ability to prepare for. protect against. and .respond to acts of terrorism and other emergencies. Working together. we can continue to protect this country from terrorists wishing us harm. I urge all Members to join in supporting this resolution. Mr. Speaker. I reserve the balance of my time.