By Laura Smith, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a meeting on the status of the recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita four years ago called “Final Breakthrough on the Billion Dollar Katrina Infrastructure Logjam: How is it working?”

However, according to Chairwoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) some of the new ideas proposed to help with the recovery of Katrina are just now coming to fruition.

She said FEMA resisted efforts to break the logjam preferring its own traditional devices. She also discussed HR 3247, which the house passed in October 2007 encouraging the use of third parties to review and expedite public assistance appeals, as well as for projects up to $100,000.

“We passed this bill, which also raised the federal contribution of certain projects from 75 percent to 90 percent, not once but twice. It is sad the administration wasn’t able to pass this legislation,” Norton said during a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing Tuesday.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) said he’s experienced working with FEMA and seen great success with them alongside the delays that may occur.

“We all know addressing the delays in public assistance … is critical in the recovery process following a major disaster like a hurricane. Unfortunately delays have plagued the recovery process in Louisiana, and also in other states that were impacted by Katrina and Rita,” he said.

He said that since then Congress has taken a number of steps to strengthen FEMA and to try to ensure that Louisiana and other states can recover. Still, Diaz-Balart said delays still persist.

FEMA deputy administrator Dave Garratt said he’s recognized there’s still steps that must be taken in regard to recovery in states like Louisiana and that they are at no means able to say ‘mission accomplished.’

“We recognize that there’s still much to do, and we intend to work with our partners to make sure it happens,” Garratt said.

At a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery Subcommittee hearing on FEMA’s progress after Katrina, FEMA’s Deputy Administrator, Admiral Harvey E. Johnson, says the Administration is working hard to remove bureaucratic red tape. He says FEMA released a national response framework to create more streamlined, efficient responses. (0:54)

 

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The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery held a hearing on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) performance in handling disasters since Katrina. Chairwoman Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said there have been 169 major disasters and 250 federal emergencies since Katrina. (more…)

Briefer: Tony Fratto,

President’s Schedule:

At 9.45 am, President Bush is briefed on the Midwest flooding situations. At 10:20 am, the President meets with the Former Commander of the International Security Assistance Force in the Oval Office of the White House. This afternoon, President Bush will make remarks in honor of Black Music Month.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Tony Fratto will brief the press at 12.30 pm today. (more…)

At a congressional briefing, Red Cross Disaster Services Senior Vice President Joe Becker said that, in the event of the worst potential disaster, the Red Cross would not be fully prepared. He said that the Red Cross is completely prepared to handle the kind of disasters experts have predicted, even one that is worse than hurricane Katrina. He said that the Red Cross is currently dealing with at least 15 crises all over the country. He said the Red Cross has the potential to deliver up to four thousand volunteers per day depending on the severity of the disaster and the need for intervention.

Becker said that the hurricane season lasts from June to November and there is a 70 percent chance that at least a category three hurricane will hit the east coast sometime this year. He said that currently the Red Cross has the ability to serve one million meals per day for as many days as is necessary. Becker said that the red cross has over 49,000 buildings it can use as shelters during a disaster, and these buildings can hold up to 5.3 million people.

One of the major problems, Becker said, was a failing IT system used during hurricane Katrina. He said that the new IT system currently in place can hold up to ten million cases and there only 2.3 million in the database at this time. He also said that only eight to ten percent of Americans have taken the necessary precautions against severe weather.

The House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Homeland Security Appropriations held a hearing to review whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is on the right track. However, even that may not be enough as ranking member Hal Rogers (R-KY 9) noted by quoting Will Rogers as saying “even if you’re on the right track, you will still get run over if you just sit there.” (more…)

An audio documentary based on Cholene Espinoza’s book “Through the Eye of the Storm” from Chelsea Green Publishing

Narrated by Michael Harrison of Talkers Magazine

Original music by Kevin Casey

A production of Talk Radio News Service
Produced by Lovisa Frost, Gregory Gorman, Victoria Jones, Bev Santaniello and Wendy Wang

 

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