Boustany Remembers Hurricane Rita in House Resolution

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Charles W. Boustany, Jr., (R-Southwest Louisiana), today made the following remarks on the House floor remembering Hurricane Rita, which struck the Southwest Louisiana coast five years ago.  Boustany introduced H. Res. 1583 to observe the fifth-year anniversary and honor the ongoing recovery effort.

Boustany’s remarks as prepared:

“Mr. Speaker, September 24th marks the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Rita’s landfall in my Southwest Louisiana district. 

“Category 3 Hurricane Rita came ashore with wind speeds of more than 120 miles per hour and 15 feet of storm surge, causing an estimated $11.3 billion dollars in damages – and making it the third most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history.  

“Rita caused widespread destruction to our communities, fragile working wetlands and critical energy infrastructure in Vermilion, Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes. 

“On a personal note, I’d like to thank all of my colleagues who traveled to Southwest Louisiana in the months after the storm to witness firsthand the devastation and offer your assistance.

“I also want to thank Chairman Oberstar, Ranking Member Mica and the Committee staff that worked with our delegation to help address some of he problems we faced in the storm’s aftermath.  

“In the past five years, I have worked hard to ensure that Rita is not “the forgotten storm” and to further assist in the region’s recovery and rebuilding. 

“I’m proud we have initiated the first ever hurricane protection plan for Southwest Louisiana and included provisions in the 2007 WRDA bill to help expedite the Corps of Engineers’ work to ensure projects are not delayed. 

“Rita exposed the critical state of our coastal wetlands, and the role they play in supporting the U.S. energy industry.  These wetlands serve as critical buffer against hurricanes and protect industries and cities located further inland. 

“Before the 2005 storms, the projected land loss in Louisiana was 24 square miles per year.  After Katrina and Rita, the National Wetlands Center reported 217 square miles of Louisiana’s coastal lands were transformed to water.

“Protecting and strengthening our coast is not only a Louisiana problem, it is an American problem.  Families and businesses rely on the energy we produce in Louisiana and transport throughout the country each day. 

“But just as we are starting to regain our way of life along the Gulf Coast, Louisianians face new challenges.  The current moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico threatens good paying jobs and our economic livelihood.   

“The moratorium has idled 33 rigs and the workers on these platforms and is hampering South Louisiana’s recovery. 

“There are also thousands more support workers affected - including welders, electricians, mariners, caterers and engineers that aren’t directly employed by the drilling operator. 

“The ramifications of the deepwater moratorium and the de facto shallow water moratorium are being felt as layoffs have begun along the Gulf Coast. 

“The same hard-working citizens who stayed in South Louisiana to rebuild their homes with their own hands after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are now experiencing economic devastation.

“American energy production in the Gulf can be done safely and we need to work together to quickly implement improved safety standards to put Gulf Coast residents back to work delivering the energy the nation relies upon. 

“Louisianians are resilient and I’m proud to work with my community as we continue the long recovery process.