Pelosi: We Will Not Forget the Families of the Gulf Coast

Pelosi: We Will Not Forget the Families of the Gulf Coast

Friday, August 28, 2009

Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. - Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement ahead of the fourth Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which is tomorrow, August 29, 2009:

â€Å"Four years ago, Hurricane Katrina made landfall, tearing through homes, neighborhoods, and towns across Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama. This unprecedented natural disaster left only devastation in its wake and exposed a man-made tragedy simmering beneath the surface.

â€Å"In the aftermath of the storm, we vowed to never forget those who'd been lost, nor those who struggled to rebuild their shattered lives, homes, schools, hospitals, and communities and to work to restore the economic vitality of the region, creating jobs and rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

â€Å"The response to Hurricane Katrina remains a work in progress, but progress is being made.

â€Å"Congress has appropriated $120 billion in emergency funding for infrastructure repair, housing, and assistance for individuals and businesses over the past four years. Since taking office, President Obama has ensured that more than $1 billion in public projects get out of the pipeline and onto the ground. And the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which we passed this year, is providing more than $25 billion into the states of the Gulf Coast - investing in new homes, reopening schools and health clinics, and restoring the coastline.

â€Å"With my colleagues in Congress we will continue to partner with the President and leaders across the region to complete the work of recovery and to help restore the lives changed forever by this storm.â€