A Message from Congressman Adam Smith

April 17, 2006

Thank you for contacting me with your continued concerns for
Hurricane Katrina survivors.  I appreciate you taking the time to
share your thoughts and concerns with me on this matter.

First let me say I agree with you, that there is still more to do to help
these families.  A $10.5 billion emergency supplemental
appropriations bill was provided to fund the Disaster Relief Fund
and for emergency hurricane expenses to support costs of
evacuation, emergency repairs, deployment of personnel and other
costs resulting from immediate relief efforts.  Congress also passed a
secondary emergency supplemental appropriation, providing $51.8
billion for the response.  Recently, the House passed H.R. 4939, the
War and Hurricane Supplemental Appropriations for FY 2006,
which included $19.2 billion for hurricane recovery.  Although this
funding is very important, all funding must be spent wisely, timely
and in the most efficient manner.

Almost eight months after the worst natural disaster in U.S. history
hit our shores, the survivors of Hurricane Katrina are still suffering. 
Nearly 750,000 households remain displaced by Katrina while one-
third of the residents of New Orleans have returned.  This is not
surprising since the extent of devastation in Mississippi and
Louisiana is staggering and neighborhoods are still piled high with
storm debris.  Over 250,000 homes were destroyed by the storm,
leaving hundreds of thousands struggling to find a place to live and
stabilize their lives.  I believe many families do want to return home,
though many may chose to not return and remain in their new
locations.  Either way, we need to continue to help these individuals
get back on their feet. 

Many of these challenges can be attributed to the lack of planning
on the part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA).  FEMA did not have a plan in place to respond and
thereby failed to take effective actions to identify housing for
displaced families, failed to issue clear guidance on how long
families will continue to receive federal rental assistance, and failed
to create a long-term plan to help these families stabilize their lives. 
Also, the videoconference tape appeared again in the news recently,
showing President Bush fully aware of the potential impact of
Katrina prior landfall.  Like you, I was surprised and greatly
troubled that the President should say that no one anticipated the
breech of the levies in the days following the hurricane.  We know
that the President was personally briefed by Max Mayfield, the
Director of the National Hurricane Center and was warned of the
damage that would ensure if it hit New Orleans.  Please be assured I
will continue working to hold accountable those responsible for their
inaction and lack of preparedness.  

Since Katrina, two reports were released in February 2006, one by
the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for
and Response to Hurricane Katrina in the House and the other by the
White House.  Led by Republican members, the House report called
for restructuring the nation's disaster response system.  The report
found that officials from Bush down missed clear warnings of the
unfolding calamity and did not activate emergency procedures or
share information that could have saved lives.  The White House
released a report a week later and made further recommendations. 
For example, the report called for the military to be more closely
involved in handling large natural disasters as part of a plan to
improve the government's emergency response operations, which
were exposed as fatally flawed after Hurricane Katrina.  The report
also called for strengthening mandatory evacuation policies and
ensuring that the FEMA works more closely with governors and
other local officials.  The Senate is expected to release their findings
and recommendations in the coming weeks.

With hurricane season soon upon us, we must ensure these
recommendations are in place so that we are more prepared than
ever before.  We can not risk human life and property due to the lack
of planning and preparedness.  Federal, State and local organizations
are also working with communities to improve their preparedness,
keeping pantries stocked and educating people on how to respond in
the case of emergencies.  Please be assured I am working with my
colleagues to provide sufficient funding and support to organizations
like FEMA and the Coast Guard as they implement new plans and
prepare for the season in the upcoming months. 

In the meantime, Congress enacted various bills to provide
assistance to Katrina victims.  For example, Congress extended
jobless unemployment benefits to 39 weeks for 150,000 hurricane
survivors and provided disaster relief employment on projects for
displaced workers, and provided a work opportunity tax credit for
businesses who hire hurricane survivors.  Legislation also passed to
extend deadlines for hurricane survivors to file their tax returns and
allowed them to use earned income for the previous taxable year to
compute the earned income and child tax credits in 2005 and
doubled the allowable amounts of the Hope Scholarship and
Lifetime Learning tax credits.  For students who either were from or
attended schools in the region, Congress provided some flexibility
for students to have access to or repay their education loans.  In
addition to providing additional funds through the Community
Development Block Grant, Congress also provided funding for
rebuilding infrastructure like water treatment plants and levees and
extended existing tax credits to erect affordable housing units. 

I also joined my Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to
President Bush asking that the deadline for the Small Business
Administration (SBA) physical damage disaster loans be extended
to December 31, 2006.  These loans are granted to homeowners and
small businesses for reconstruction and are a vital asset to rebuilding
the Gulf Coast region's infrastructure and economy.  The SBA
disaster loan program was created so local economies could recover
quickly from these disasters in a timely and efficient manner. 
Unfortunately, in the case of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita the
program was plagued with problems, including difficulties with the
computer system, lack of staffing and overall unresponsiveness to
applicants' issues. As a result, over eighty percent of disaster loan
applications are outstanding and the backlog of unprocessed loans
that have been submitted exceeds 60,000.  Since then, the
Administration has only extended the deadline a mere 30 days, but
please be assured I am committed to following this issue closely and
will monitor the progress of the SBA in the coming weeks.

While the rebuilding plan should come from the locals in the region,
we at the federal level will continue to support the rebuilding in a
responsible and efficient way.  Louisiana Governor Blanco finalized
a plan weeks ago and is awaiting Congressional approval and
funding.  Please know I will work with my colleagues here in
Congress to ensure that we remember the lessons learned and move
forward in rebuilding together. 

Again, I want to thank you for contacting me on this important
matter.  If you have any additional questions, comments or concerns,
please do not hesitate to contact me. 
Sincerely,

Adam Smith
Member of Congress