A resolution recognizing the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 357 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 357

         Recognizing the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 31, 2025

   Mr. Cassidy (for himself and Mr. Kennedy) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
         Recognizing the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Whereas, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina inflicted catastrophic damage as 
        a Category 3 hurricane and caused damage exceeding $200,000,000,000 in 
        the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, making it 
        one of the costliest storms in the history of the United States;
Whereas Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes in the history of 
        the United States, with a recorded 1,822 fatalities, including 1,577 in 
        Louisiana, 238 in Mississippi, 14 in Florida, 2 in Georgia, and 2 in 
        Alabama, according to the National Hurricane Center;
Whereas Hurricane Katrina's storm surge, which exceeded 20 feet in some places, 
        caused 53 breaches in the levee system of New Orleans, and the levee 
        failure resulted in the flooding of 80 percent of the city;
Whereas, more than 1,200,000 individuals were under some type of evacuation 
        order, including the first mandatory evacuation in the history of New 
        Orleans;
Whereas non-emergency medical employees sheltered in place at hospitals to 
        provide care and help move patients to higher ground;
Whereas tens of thousands of homes and businesses from Louisiana to Florida were 
        destroyed by the flooding;
Whereas 3,000,000 individuals were left without electricity for weeks;
Whereas major highways were destroyed, including the Interstate 10 Twin Span 
        Bridge connecting the cities of New Orleans and Slidell in Louisiana;
Whereas the Louisiana Superdome sheltered 26,000 evacuees and suffered roof 
        leaks and other significant damage from strong winds;
Whereas Hurricane Katrina affected every part of Louisiana, and thousands of 
        survivors sheltered in the Baton Rouge River Center, the Bossier City 
        Civic Center, and the Monroe Civic Center, and additionally, many 
        evacuees sheltered with friends and family;
Whereas, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, medical residents and 
        faculty, as well as grassroots organizations, quickly mobilized to 
        provide immediate health care services to hurricane evacuees;
Whereas neighboring cities and States took in thousands of displaced residents 
        and provided medical care and shelter at make-shift hospitals, such as 
        the Katrina Clinic at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas;
Whereas the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, 
        America's Second Harvest (now known as Feeding America), Emergency 
        Communities, Catholic Charities, Pastors Resource Council Compassion, 
        Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, and other charitable organizations 
        provided crucial food, water, and hygiene products to victims;
Whereas, more than 70 countries and international organizations pledged monetary 
        donations in excess of $854,000,000;
Whereas improved levees are an essential aspect of providing Category 5-
        equivalent hurricane protection;
Whereas, in 2009, the Army Corps of Engineers delivered a plan for providing 
        coastal Louisiana with Category 5-equivalent hurricane protection;
Whereas, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, more than $15,000,000,000 was 
        invested into Louisiana's levee system, and the Army Corps of Engineers 
        constructed stronger levees by replacing failed I-Wall design floodwalls 
        with stronger T-wall or L-wall design floodwalls and reinforced the most 
        vulnerable undamaged I-Walls and surge protection closures;
Whereas the investment in Louisiana's levees paid off, and Louisiana's levees 
        have held through multiple storms since their improvement following 
        Hurricane Katrina;
Whereas Louisiana has improved evacuation routes, hardened its electric grid, 
        and secured coastal resiliency grants and flood mitigation assistance 
        grants to be better prepared for the next major hurricane;
Whereas enhancing flood mitigation measures and ensuring the affordability of 
        flood insurance will strengthen the resiliency of vulnerable communities 
        and the broader Gulf Coast region, in particular; and
Whereas the resiliency of the residents of New Orleans and the people of 
        Louisiana allowed their culture, heritage, and identity to endure: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commemorates the victims of Hurricane Katrina;
            (2) commends the courageous efforts of those who assisted 
        in the recovery efforts;
            (3) recognizes the contributions of the communities in 
        Louisiana and across the United States for providing shelter 
        and assistance to survivors; and
            (4) reaffirms its commitment to protecting the Gulf Coast 
        region from future storms.
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