Senator Mary Landrieu Comments on Hurricane Season 2009

06/01/2009 -- WASHINGTON -- United States Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., chair of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery, commented on the start of the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins today. In May, federal forecasters predicted that there could be nine to 14 named tropical storms this season, including four to seven hurricanes and one to three major hurricanes.

Sen. Landrieu said:

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"The new Administration takes hurricane season very seriously. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate joined me on a tour of the Gulf Coast in March, and President Obama was thoroughly briefed on hurricane preparedness last week. In Mr. Fugate, we have a leader with outstanding credentials in disaster management and who understands that FEMA needs reform.

"The lessons of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita helped facilitate much smoother government reaction to Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, but we still have a lot of work to do in preparing for and responding to catastrophic disasters. The Gustav and Ike evacuations were the largest in U.S. history, but there remained problems in immediate response, such as placing generators, and in long-term response, such as disaster housing and reimbursement for rebuilding and emergency work. It is important to build on the successes of the prior hurricane season and also learn from past mistakes.

"As we move forward, we must also take steps to mitigate the impact of future storms on our communities. I just returned from the Netherlands where I studied the Dutch integrated flood protection system -- the best in the world -- with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, two Corps officials, a representative from the Federal Coordinators office, and a Louisiana delegation. We need to incorporate Dutch best practices in the American model to keep Louisiana, from Cameron to Plaquemines, safe from Gulf storms."

On Thursday June 4 at 2:30 pm ET, Sen. Landrieu is chairing a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery Subcommittee hearing titled "Are We Ready? -- A Status Report on Emergency Preparedness for the 2009 Hurricane Season."

Source: Senator Mary Landrieu