Washington, DC — U.S. Representative Melvin L. Watt (12th District – NC) has proposed a way to help Hurricane Katrina victims rebuild their homes and businesses. During the House Financial Services Committee consideration of a flood insurance reform measure (H.R. 4320) yesterday, Rep Watt offered an amendment to allow flood victims to purchase flood insurance coverage retroactively if their home or business was located outside of a federally designated flood area and they, consequently, would have had no reason to purchase flood insurance before Hurricane Katrina.  Rep. Watt’s amendment was co-sponsored by all 11 members of the Congressional Black Caucus who serve on the House Financial Services Committee and set off a heated debate that lasted more than one hour before the amendment was defeated by the Committee by a vote of 32 to 34.

 

Watt said: “This is a responsible way to help the people living outside of flood zones who did not have insurance because they didn’t think they needed it. This is our effort to address the concerns of people who were flooded and who have no where to go.  We cannot forget about the thousands of people whose lives were turned upside-down by Hurricane Katrina. We must live up to our responsibility to help our fellow Americans who need our help most now.” 

 

The amendment offered by Rep. Watt  was originally one of the provisions of a bill introduced on November 2 by the 42 House Members of the Congressional Black Caucus called the Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation, Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act of 2005 (H.R. 4197). The CBC bill has been hailed by many national organizations and leaders as the first plan introduced that would provide comprehensive federal relief to Hurricane Katrina victims and rebuild the Gulf Coast region. 

 

Watt said he made the decision to offer the retroactive flood insurance buy-in provision as an amendment to the flood insurance reform bill in the Financial Services Committee in part because of yesterday’s announcement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that will force 150,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees to vacate the hotel rooms they have been staying in no later than December 1, leaving these people with no place to go.    

 

Rep. Mel Watt is a member of the House Financial Services Committee and Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus.