WASHINGTON, DC—Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Susan Collins is reacting to the Hurricane Katrina Report released today by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Frances Townsend. Senator Collins, along with Ranking Member Joseph Lieberman, recently completed their 20th hearing on the committee’s bipartisan investigation into the government’s preparation for and response to Hurricane Katrina and plan to release the committee’s report and recommendations next month.
“The Assistant to the President for Homeland Security’s report appears to be a thorough self-examination of the federal government’s shortfalls in its response to Hurricane Katrina.
“Some of the report’s recommendations include proposals that our committee has suggested throughout the course of our committee’s investigation, which included 20 hearings. Among these recommendations are the establishment of interagency task forces that can rapidly deploy and respond to catastrophic events, and the creation within the Department of a more effective interoperable communications system-an issue that our investigation has identified as being one of the major challenges that seriously hindered response efforts at all levels of government.
“The report rightly acknowledges the importance of strengthening and updating the logistics system to make it more flexible, efficient and transparent and it recognizes the importance of rethinking and rewriting key aspects of our national preparedness plan.
“Another major issue area that emerged throughout our investigation is the vital importance of strong and experienced leadership in overseeing emergency response and preparedness efforts. This report recommends that Department regional directors, who would be assigned to oversee emergency situations, have significant expertise and experience in emergency preparedness, as well as demonstrated leadership ability.
“The report also recognizes that DHS should continue to assess and evaluate each state’s evacuation plans.
“While I do not agree with all of the report’s recommendations, this is another step forward in making America better prepared to respond to catastrophic events.”
The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s investigation has held 20 hearings, gathered over 820,000 pages of related documents, heard from 74 witnesses, and investigators have interviewed over 290 witnesses. The committee will release its final Katrina report next month.