Expressing the support of Congress for the creation of a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Southwest Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 54, which supports the creation of a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Southwest Louisiana. The creation of a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in southwest Louisiana will serve as a historical reminder for all Americans as well as the rest of the world of the importance of disaster preparedness.

We must not forget the depths of the devastation and despair of Hurricane Katrina that resulted from the lack of proactive disaster planning and preparedness. Hurricane Katrina was the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of the United States. It was the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded and the third- strongest hurricane on record that made landfall in the United States. Katrina formed on August 23 during the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season and caused devastation along much of the north-central Gulf Coast of the United States. Most notable in media coverage were the catastrophic effects on the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and in coastal Mississippi. Due to its sheer size, Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast as far as 100 miles from the storm's epicenter.

Mr. Speaker, the images of the detriment and devastation remain deeply etched in my mind and much of the remnants of the tragedy still remain in those communities today. The storm surge caused severe and catastrophic damage along the Gulf coast, devastating the cities of Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Biloxi/Gulfport in Mississippi, Mobile, Alabama, and Slidell, Louisiana and other towns in Louisiana. Levees separating Lake Pontchartrain and several canals from New Orleans were breached a few days after Hurricane Katrina had subsided, subsequently flooding 80% of the city and many areas of neighboring parishes for weeks. In addition, severe wind damage was reported well inland.

Although we continue to mourn the loss of the thousands of victims who perished in Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, we must still push forward to gain knowledge and insight about these disastrous hurricanes and their effects on the public. The Hurricane Center has the potential to provide a great source of educational service to the American public as concerns about the rapidly changing climate in hurricane-prone regions rise.

The Hurricane Center will not only educate but also motivate the young and the old in the fields of meteorology, environmental science, sociology, conservation, economics, history, communications, and engineering. In addition, the Hurricane Center can benefit everyone by providing resources that inform the public on preparing, surviving and recovering from natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. Hopefully, this will enable us to avoid such needless and devastating results as those from Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

Examining technology, engineering, and preservation of natural barriers all can help to reduce the impact of hurricanes. It is only appropriate that the effects of hurricanes and the rebuilding efforts be captured in a comprehensive center such as a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center to interpret the effects of hurricanes in and outside of Louisiana. For these reasons, I strongly support H. Con. Res. 54 and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the creation of a Museum and Science Center that will serve to remind and educate Americans about the importance of hurricane disaster preparedness.

I thank my colleague from Utah and the gentlelady from the Virgin Islands for their comments on this, and I appreciate the committee in allowing this to come to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution. Hurricanes Rita and Katrina forever changed the lives of gulf coast residents. It was not until the 2005 storms that most Americans really began to fully comprehend the potential size, strength and impact of these devastating natural disasters.

We are nowhere near where we need to be as far as educating the public and raising awareness about hurricane preparedness.

Last week marked the beginning of the 2007 hurricane season. Yet despite intense media coverage surrounding Katrina and Rita, a recent poll of coastal residents conducted by the Associated Press revealed that an astounding 88 percent had not taken any steps to protect their homes against future storms. Sixty-one percent had no hurricane survival kits on hand.

We need to do more to remind the public about the devastation caused by major storms on the level of Katrina, Rita, Andrew and Ivan, as well as teach them about the science behind these phenomena and what we can do to better protect lives and property leading up to a potential storm.

This resolution expresses the support of Congress for the creation of a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in southwest Louisiana. The goal of this comprehensive center is to interpret the effects of hurricanes on our land, people, culture and government to preserve artifacts and personal histories of those who have suffered and died because of these events, to conduct research and showcase improvements in meteorology, technology, communications and building systems, and also to offer a creative learning experience in the disciplines of math, science, history, geography and social sciences as they relate to catastrophic natural disasters.

The Center will partner with the National Weather Service, the media and other public and private organizations to provide timely and reliable information as it relates to severe weather events and their aftermath.

The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road began working on this project before the 2005 storms. In September, the project was awarded a $1.3 million Department of Transportation Scenic Byways grant, the largest ever awarded under the Louisiana Scenic Byways program.

Just last week, the board conducted two public meetings in southwest Louisiana to seek community input on the top four sites being considered for the museum and science center. A final site selection is expected to be announced later this month, honoring the 50th anniversary of Hurricane Audrey, a storm that was devastating in my congressional district and took many lives years ago.

The National Hurricane Museum and Science Center will not only serve as a historical center to study the effects that hurricanes have on our coast, it will be a living memorial to attract scholars, students and tourists to the region, a region that's still struggling to recover after the 2005 storms.

Southwest Louisiana is constantly learning how to protect itself from future disasters, and this project will help assist our efforts and our neighbors along the gulf coast and throughout the country in that important effort.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I want to thank the gentleman from Utah for yielding.

Across the Sabine River from southwest Louisiana is southeast Texas, and the citizens of southeast Texas are still reeling from the beating that they got from Hurricane Rita in 2005. The hurricane devastated rice farmers who were struggling even before the wind and rain destroyed most of their crops.

It hit the oil refineries in my congressional district and across the gulf coast, which account for one-third of the Nation's domestic oil production, and it brought our fuel supply to a screeching halt. Gasoline prices soared, and citizens can no longer afford to heat and even cool their homes.

Amidst the chaos of Hurricane Rita and its aftermath, lawlessness preyed upon the real victims. Some of those who weathered the storm took advantage of FEMA's incompetence in its attempt to distribute money to those in need. The cheaters took FEMA debit cards and spent them on gentlemen's clubs and brand-new cars. The real victims languished homeless and helpless, waiting for the Federal Government to do something.

The folks in my congressional district can still feel the impact of the hurricane 2 years later. People are still trying to just survive; and, as Mr. Boustany has said, another hurricane season is now upon us. We cannot forget how a few short hours in southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas caused so much destruction. We cannot forget in historical terms Hurricane Katrina or Rita, and we must remember they are not rare events for the gulf coast.

In 1900, an unnamed hurricane was the deadliest natural disaster in our Nation's history. It killed between 10- and 12,000 people in Galveston, Texas. It destroyed most of the buildings on the island, some 3,600. With remarkable determination, the survivors of the great storm of 1900 raised the whole City of Galveston, Texas, 12 feet to protect it from future disasters.

We cannot forget the victims of the past, and we must remember how the victims of Katrina and Rita are still fighting to recover their homes, their towns and their livelihoods, and we must be better prepared in the future.

That's why, Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to rise in support of this resolution offered by my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Louisiana.

The National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Southwest Louisiana will honor these victims and those of previous hurricanes, preserve their history. It will tell the stories of all the hurricanes of the past, but also encourage new solutions for natural disasters of the future. So I'd like to commend Dr. Boustany for offering this important resolution. It's a long time in coming.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 54) expressing the support of Congress for the creation of a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Southwest Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 days with which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to begin by commending Representative Boustany of Louisiana for introducing H. Con. Res. 54, supporting and encouraging the creation of a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in southwest Louisiana.

House Concurrent Resolution 54 expresses Congress' support of the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road District Board of Commissioners in creating and developing a National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in the southwest Louisiana area. Such a center will educate visitors about the devastating effects and rebuilding efforts surrounding the region's recent hurricanes and will preserve history so that future generations may learn from it. We support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 54 and yield myself such time as I may consume.

House Concurrent Resolution 54 has been adequately explained by the majority. I would like to commend Congressman Boustany for his work on this resolution to create the National Hurricane Museum and Science Center.

I urge adoption of the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.