Jackson Free Press

Three weeks after America's worst storm directly hit Mississippi, the Katrina recovery effort has miles to go, but we are making progress. As we recover, we must continue addressing immediate needs while formulating mid and long-term strategies to deal, not only with this disaster, but also the next. As we do, the best of America will show through, even during some of our worst days.

The Short-Term Needs: The relief efforts following hurricanes and other natural disasters have phases, and victims' needs vary with those phases. You have the immediate aftermath, where you're just trying to save lives, when the basics of water, food and generators flow into the needed area. Next comes the cleanup and temporary housing concerns. Right now, Mississippi still needs all those things, but the most urgent is temporary housing. I'm working with federal, state and local officials to set up three centers to administer temporary housing. Priority will be given to the homeless, persons living in shelters, and to first responders.

The Mid-Term Action: In the past week Congress has taken steps to help Katrina victims over the next few months. These include tax incentives to encourage more charitable donations and for individual tax relief for Katrina's victims. Along with the more than $60 billion dollars appropriated by Congress for Katrina-struck states, the federal government is providing Mississippians with $50 million to hire Katrina relief workers; $3 million for emergency job training at our community colleges; and $5 million for emergency highway and bridge repairs, including Interstate 10 and Highway 90. In addition to declaring almost two-thirds of Mississippi a federal disaster area eligible for federal aid, we've made Mississippi's coastal fishermen whose boats and fishing stocks were decimated by the storm eligible for federal assistance.

The Long-Term Plan: It's also essential that we start re-evaluating how our nation responds to extraordinary disasters like Hurricane Katrina, looking at America's long-term disaster response needs. I believe Congress made a mistake by putting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under the Department of Homeland Security. It resulted in simply adding layers of inflexible bureaucracy that proved unworkable during Katrina's unprecedented assault and aftermath. I have been critical of FEMA because Katrina was clearly beyond its bureaucracy's capability to handle. President Bush apparently concurred, and he has acted to streamline FEMA's decision making processes, putting an experienced Coast Guard admiral in charge of FEMA's ongoing Katrina operation.

The Answer: However we address questions regarding our short, mid and long-term disaster responses, Katrina shows us that the military and charitable organizations should be an integral part of the solution. For thousands of Katrina's victims, our military, faith-based and charitable organizations answered their needs before some government agencies could answer the phone.

We couldn't have made it through Katrina's initial challenges without men and women from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. They not only did their job, they exceeded it regularly, without question.

That's why I've asked the President, rather than closing Naval Station Pascagoula, to keep it open or transform it into a homeland security base, where military and other appropriate agencies can share facilities to protect the Gulf and its vital energy, port and national security facilities.

I'm also asking that the Coast Guard, which already has a presence at Naval Station Pascagoula, receive a $500 million supplemental appropriation. They rescued 33,000 people during this dreadful storm. They gave their best, and deserve our nation's best.

For Mississippi's victims of Hurricane Katrina, it's a long road to recovery. As we travel it together, we must once again show the world that the worst of times brings out the best in America.
Senator Lott welcomes any questions or comments about this column. Write to: U.S. Senator Trent Lott, 487 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510 (Attn: Press Office)

Previous Comments

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70786

Comment

I still want to know why Sen. Lott complained, after his meeting with W. in Poplarville last week, that there were 20,000 trailers sitting in Atlanta that FEMA's red tape would not release to our desperate gulf coast survivors- yet Gov. Barbour said yesterday that we have about 1500 trailers here, and if we brought in 50 a day, it would still take more than 30 days to meet our needs . . . ? Barbour drawled that it was slow progress . . . Ya think? Why the big discrepancy between these two Republicans about how many trailers are available? WHOA! And checking the Baton Rouge newspaper today regarding Louisiana's trailers from FEMA: "FEMA officials have said thousands of the trailers are in the state ready for placement and hundreds more are arriving each day. " Excerpt: http://2theadvocate.com/stories/091605/sub_femahousing001.shtml THOUSANDS IN THE STATE WITH HUNDREDS ARRIVING DAILY! Maybe it's because the Louisiana governor is an advocate for the People of Louisiana, and our governor is an advocate for W and his cronies. Which reminds me: My friends in Baton Rouge did NOT experience a gasoline shortage the week of Katrina, just a huge influx of evacuees.

Author

Towanda

Date

2005-09-16T20:45:45-06:00

ID

70787

Comment

Maybe those trailers in Atlanta are headed to LA, not MS.

Author

Steph

Date

2005-09-19T11:29:00-06:00

ID

70788

Comment

Yeah, you wonder, don't you? Despite all Mr. Barbour's public assurances, it is a mess on the Coast.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2005-09-19T11:30:42-06:00