[StBernard] Do Not Forget the Lessons of Hurricane Rita

[Westley Annis]

Do Not Forget the Lessons 
of Hurricane Rita 
A column by United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., 
and Congressman Charles Boustany, R-La.

 

WASHINGTON - The following op-ed was published today in a Capitol Hill
newspaper, Roll Call. Louisiana newspapers are invited to reprint it: 

Two years ago, Hurricane Rita came crashing ashore along the Louisiana/Texas
border. With winds in excess of 120 miles per hour pushing a 20-foot wall of
water, the storm wreaked catastrophic damage across Southeast Texas and
Southwest Louisiana. The storm at its peak was the most intense ever to have
entered the Gulf of Mexico, breaking a record set only three weeks earlier
by Hurricane Katrina. When the skies cleared, Rita ranked as the
third-most-expensive natural disaster in U.S. history. 

In any other circumstance, the devastation of more than 20,000 homes, an
interruption to our core national energy infrastructure and the destruction
of half a billion dollars in agriculture, forests and fisheries would be big
news - and it should be. Yet this catastrophe has been lost in the media
shadow of Hurricane Katrina, all but forgotten by too many in Washington,
D.C., and the national media, and still very much in need of attention from
both. 

There is simply no substitute for a firsthand appreciation of the storm's
wrath and the long-term recovery needs of the region. As we fight for the
tools to rebuild and recover from both hurricanes, our greatest ally has
been the impact of eyewitness understanding - and our greatest enemies have
been ignorance and passive disregard. 

We are tremendously grateful to all those who have shared in and told
Southeast Louisiana's important story of hope and recovery. But this story
does not end at the Mississippi River. Rita was massive, but nonetheless a
"traditional" hurricane. Katrina's effects were magnified by the failure of
federal levees and the flooding that followed. With different disasters come
unique challenges to recovery - and stories equally worth telling. 

With Rita approaching, Southwest Louisiana communities mounted an evacuation
operation far larger than ever before envisioned. Not only did residents of
these parishes need to seek safety themselves, but thousands of Katrina
evacuees they had opened their hearts and homes to were incorporated into
the plans as well. The unique combination of energy, petrochemical, timber,
fishing and other regional bedrock industries serving our nation are now
suffering from an equally unique labor shortage. The nature of the damage
also raises questions as to whether homeowners affected by Rita will be
eligible for the same rebuilding assistance as those flooded as a result of
levee breaks. All the while, a failed federal bureaucracy continues to meter
out miles of red tape, without the consistent guidance or decision-making to
hint when, if ever, projects can move forward. 

Yet, without the national spotlight rightly afforded Katrina-affected areas,
the people of Cameron, Calcasieu, Jefferson Davis, Vermilion, Iberia and
other Rita-devastated parishes have marched on. With generations-old roots
in their community and the vibrant Louisiana spirit in their hearts, they
have pulled themselves up and begun the difficult yet essential process of
rebuilding. Theirs is an untold story in need of witnesses with strong
voices. 

And so, to the hardworking members of the media, our colleagues in
Washington and to millions of Americans, we ask simply: Do not forget
Hurricane Rita. It too has many lessons to offer for how we prepare for and
recover from natural disasters. It tells a tale of distinctly American
spirit and community. The stalwart people of south Louisiana continue to
work hard to serve our nation's energy, agriculture and other needs as they
work to rebuild their own homes. This story of hope, recovery, resilience
and service can never be forgotten. 

 

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