Barbara Lee’s Statement on the Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
(Oakland, CA) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) issued the following statement on the upcoming anniversary of hurricane Katrina:
“A year ago hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. One year later, it is clear that the Bush administration has failed to make good on its promises to the region, and we need to demand more.
“It is not simply that reconstruction efforts have languished, and well connected corporations have reaped the rewards while tens of thousands remain displaced.
“It is not simply that there has been little in the way of accountability, and Americans have little assurance that our government is better prepared to respond in a competent fashion to future natural or man made calamities.
“What is most troubling is the stubborn refusal, one year later, to acknowledge or do ANYTHING to address the endemic poverty and structural inequity that played a central role in the devastating nature of this disaster.
“Everyone was touched by the outpouring of generosity and concern shown by Americans in the wake of the tragedy. I believe that our country deserves a government as good as its people, and that means a real commitment to reconstruction that prioritizes the needs of Gulf Coast residents, it means accountability and the assurance that we have an emergency management system that works, but most of all it means taking on the national poverty crisis that contributed to the devastation of this storm and continues unabated.”
Over the last year Congresswoman Lee has led efforts to aid survivors and advocate for a robust reconstruction effort that prioritizes the needs of Gulf Coast residents. She traveled to the region twice, most recently for Financial Services Committee field hearings on reconstruction and housing for survivors. Her office also helped coordinate assistance for survivors who came to the East Bay. She led the fight in the House to prevent FEMA from evicting survivors, she introduced H.R. 4633, the HIV/AIDS Emergency Hurricane Relief Act to provide assistance to people living with AIDS who were displaced and she worked to develop the housing and poverty sections of the Congressional Black Caucus’ comprehensive reconstruction and recovery bill, H.R. 4197.
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