Washington, D.C. -- Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) today questioned Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff about the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) failure to establish a regional office structure over three years after such a consolidation was required by the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Senator Akaka urged Secretary Chertoff to establish a DHS Pacific regional office in Hawaii because of the state's unique location and because Hawaii is the only state in the country not protected by the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM), which is the component of the Department of Defense (DoD) responsible for homeland defense. Secretary Chertoff declined to commit to instituting a regional structure.

"I will use my position as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee to educate Secretary Chertoff about the need for regional offices. Having a permanent, consolidated DHS regional office in the Gulf Coast may have prevented some of the catastrophic response failures to Hurricane Katrina by providing one DHS point of contact. A consolidated DHS presence in Hawaii is even more critical because we do not have neighboring states that can provide assistance during a catastrophic incident," said Senator Akaka.

When Senator Akaka raised the issue that Hawaii is not protected by NORTHCOM, Secretary Chertoff admitted that he was unaware that NORTHCOM covers only 49 states.

"I was stunned by Secretary Chertoff's admission that he was unaware that Hawaii falls outside of NORTHCOM's area of responsibility. If disaster strikes in Hawaii, DHS needs to know with which DoD command to coordinate. I am more convinced than ever that the Pacific needs a DHS regional office that will work with state and local officials directly and understands the unique needs of Hawaii and the Pacific territories," commented Senator Akaka after the hearing. At the close of the hearing, Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) singled out Senator Akaka for his hard work during the investigation.

Senator Akaka is a senior member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which has held 20 hearings investigating the government's response to Hurricane Katrina.