Senate Concurrent Resolution 539

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING CONGRESS TO AUTHORIZE THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA) TO CONTINUE PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO THE POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS OF THE GULF COAST COUNTIES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI FOR HURRICANE KATRINA DEBRIS REMOVAL.

WHEREAS, on Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a Category 4 Hurricane, crashed with unrelenting and violent force onto the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast, making landfall at or around Waveland, Mississippi. In one day, the worst natural disaster in our history struck us a grievous blow, leaving a 90-mile swath of destruction along the coast and causing severe damage throughout central and north Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, there is no state program for debris removal and any program at the state level would require general legislation to create it and an appropriation to fund the program; and

WHEREAS, there is a desperate need to allow financial assistance for the City of Gulfport and other areas of the Mississippi Gulf Coast to expand storm debris removal to residential and small business property owners in all neighborhoods of the city and areas affected by Hurricane Katrina without limits to inundation zones; and

WHEREAS, Mississippi's Fourth District U.S. Representative Gene Taylor has joined Governor Haley Barbour in seeking a one-year extension of the federal housing aid deadline so Mississippians can rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. The February 28, 2007, deadline, or 18 months after the "unprecedented disaster" hit Mississippi and Louisiana, is inadequate for the massive scale of rebuilding in the region and it is urgent to extend these hurricane assistance deadlines another year:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby urge the Mississippi congressional delegation to authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in conjunction with the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to continue to provide assistance for at least 12 additional months for Hurricane Katrina debris removal to political subdivisions in all areas of the Mississippi Gulf Coast counties without limits as to inundation zones. This request is made in conjunction with the request made by the Governor of the State of Mississippi and Mississippi Representative Gene Taylor for an extension of FEMA housing assistance.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be forwarded to the Executive Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to the Governor of the State of Mississippi, to members of the Mississippi congressional delegation, and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.