WASHINGTON – When a disaster such as Katrina or Rita hits a community, more than just the impacted location suffers.While in the case of Katrina, the epicenter might have been Southeast Louisiana, communities all across Louisiana, Texas and other locations sacrificed and their own social and infrastructure became strained.
Thus, on Monday, United States Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery Subcommittee Chairman Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., held a hearing on the role of host communities that take in evacuees of major disasters and catastrophes.
“I have convened this Subcommittee to underscore one of the most significant challenges during and after any disaster – the role and needs of communities that take in disaster evacuees,” Sen. Landrieu said. “In the aftermath of the 2005 storms, citizens of the GulfCoast were shipped all over the country. More than 200,000 found immediate refuge here in Baton Rouge, and evacuees nearly doubled Baton Rouge’s population to 700,000 in the last two years. More than 304,000 people were evacuated to Houston, Texas and more than 80,000 to Jackson, Mississippi.”
According to a news release from Landrieu, many communities took in storm victims during and after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, but the Federal Government was unprepared to aid those communities as they spent resources on feeding, clothing and housing evacuees.
“Section 403 of the Stafford Act, which authorizes most of the Federal Government’s disaster assistance programs, offers aid to regions and residents in a designated Presidential-declared disaster area,” Sen. Landrieu said. “Individuals and households who flee the disaster area remain eligible for assistance, but the communities that take in evacuees are left without resources to provide for those evacuees. The Stafford Act does not appropriately account for their critical role or their burgeoning needs.”
The news release said that the Stafford Act restricts much of the disaster response and recovery funding to areas affected by the disaster, but does not provide sufficient resources for communities that take in disaster evacuees.
“My experience is that the Stafford Act is too restrictive in limiting funding to areas that have suffered physical damage,” said Melvin L. “Kip” Holden, Mayor of Baton Rouge, La. “Our city was significantly affected by a tremendous population shift, with our service providers strained to serve human needs. Yet we are faced with fighting for funds because we have for the most part recovered from the physical damage but still face serious problems caused by the aftermath.”
Housing disaster evacuees for extended periods of time often has economic implications for host communities, said the release. It also stated that the population influx affects housing and transportation needs, and it often places undue burdens on host community resources.
“Many expenses to a host community are not eligible for reimbursement, such as regular salaries and wages of public service employees,” said Robert A. Eckles, former Harris County, Texas Judge. “Had we contracted with private companies for security, health care and social services these expenses would have been eligible for reimbursement. But the private sector cannot provide many of these services as they do not have police powers or the capacity to respond to a large-scale disaster. Federal law should be changed to fully and rapidly compensate host communities in a disaster of a national or regional scale.”
The release said that Sen. Landrieu focused the hearing on developing innovative strategies for assisting communities that host evacuees in the event of a future catastrophe.
“I am committed to increasing awareness of the impact of catastrophes on the host communities that generously step forward to help evacuees in need, and to ensuring that the federal government recognizes their sacrifice and partners with them to help re-settle evacuees and adapt to changes in their community infrastructure and population,” Sen. Landrieu said.
Testifying before the Subcommittee were Baton Rouge Mayor Melvin “Kip” Holden, Lake Charles, La. Mayor Randy Roach, Hammond, La. Mayor Mayson Foster, Madison, Miss Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler, Iberia Parish Sheriff Sid Hebert, Harris County, Texas County Judge Robert Eckles, Louisiana Family Recovery Corps Chief Executive Officer Raymond Jetson, Louisiana Recovery Authority Health Care Committee Chair Kim Boyle and Cajundome Commissioner Greg Davis.
