Date: 2007-03-20
Speaker: LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART (republican)
Chamber: H
State: Florida

I would like to thank the distinguished gentleman from Vermont. my friend Mr. WELCH. for the time. and yield myself such lime as I may consume. On August 24. 1992. I remember Hurricane Andrew. category 5 storm. devastated my community. with wind gusts of over 200 miles per hour. That storm caused over $26 billion of damage to south Florida. Entire communities were destroyed. Huiricane Andrew caused 43 deaths. destroyed over 125.000 homes. left approximately 180.000 people homeless. and wiped out approximately 80 percent of the areas farms. Until Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast in 2005. Hurricane Andrew was the costliest natural disaster in the United States history. We in south Florida were very fortunate to receive generous assistance from fellow Americans in the wake of Hurricane Andrew. I know that assistance was essential for recovery. as it is for recovery in the gulf coast. As someone who experienced Hurricane Andrew firsthand. I have an idea of the trials that confront those who live through horrific storms. The road to recovery is long and difficult. It doesnt come easy. But communities must come together and put all of their efforts into rebuilding and meeting the needs of the residents. We cannot walk away from our obligations to our fellow Americans. And. just as we did after Andrew. together we must build. together we must recover. together we must be better and stronger than before. Immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast. the Republican majority in this Congress committed over $100 billion to help the area confront the immediate aftermath of the storm and to deal with the recovery effort. Included in that were $16.7 billion. almost $17 billion for the Community Development Block Grant programs. States applied for those funds through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. So far. HUD has approved under $11 billion of those funds to affected States. Madam Speaker. we all agree that those who wish to return to New Orleans or other devastated areas should be able to do so. This is the position of Mr. Alphonso Jackson. the Housing and Urban Development Secretary. which he reiterated in August when he said during a visit to New Orleans. "Every family who wants to come home should have the opportunity to come back." We should all do what we. can to make certain that we rebuild. that we see communities rebuild and become even more robust and safer communities. The underlying legislation seeks to assist in the provision of affordable housing to lowincome families affected by Hurricane Katrina. There is some concern. Madam Speaker. that the legislation goes beyond the scope of the bills stated intent. For example. the legislation seeks to turn what is currently a temporary disaster voucher program into a permanent vducher. and to require HUD to provide tenant replacement vouchers for all public housing units not brought back on line. including those slated for demolition prior to the storms. The American people have demonstrated their resiliency before and will do so again. Obviously our prayers continue to go out to the victims and their families of these horrific natural disasters. The spirit of community.. generosity. and goodwill across the country continues to give me confidence that Louisiana. Mississippi. Alabama. just as Florida did before. will recover from these tragedies stronger and better than before. I would like to thank the distinguished chairman of the Financial Services Committee. He listened to the needs of MiamiDade County with regard to how the distribution formula for HUD section 8. when it was changed in the CR that this Congress passed some weeks back. There was damage. damage cost. and the chairman is ameliorating and alleviating that damage. and we are grateful for that. Now. Mrs. BIGGERT. our colleague from Illinois. went before the Rules Committee with an amendment to hold harmless all of the public housing agents from the damage done by the change in the formula in the CR. to hold harmless all the agencies through this calendar year. I am sorry. I truly am. that the majority in the Rules Committee refused to make in order