LESSONS LEARNED: ENSURING THE DELIVERY OF DONATED GOODS TO SURVIVORS OF CATASTROPHES JOINT HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, PREPAREDNESS, AND RESPONSE OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISASTER RECOVERY OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JULY 31, 2008 Serial No. 110–134 Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 46–860 PDF WASHINGTON : 2009 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi, Chairman LORETTA SANCHEZ, California PETER T. KING, New York EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts LAMAR SMITH, Texas NORMAN D. DICKS, Washington CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut JANE HARMAN, California MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon TOM DAVIS, Virginia NITA M. LOWEY, New York DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of MIKE ROGERS, Alabama Columbia DAVID G. REICHERT, Washington ZOE LOFGREN, California MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN, U.S. Virgin Islands GINNY BROWN-WAITE, Florida BOB ETHERIDGE, North Carolina GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island DAVID DAVIS, Tennessee HENRY CUELLAR, Texas PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia CHRISTOPHER P. CARNEY, Pennsylvania CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan YVETTE D. CLARKE, New York AL GREEN, Texas ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado BILL PASCRELL, JR., New Jersey I. LANIER LAVANT, Staff Director ROSALINE COHEN, Chief Counsel MICHAEL TWINCHEK, Chief Clerk ROBERT O’CONNOR, Minority Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, PREPAREDNESS, AND RESPONSE HENRY CUELLAR, Texas, Chairman LORETTA SANCHEZ, California CHARLES W. DENT, Pennsylvania NORMAN D. DICKS, Washington MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana NITA M. LOWEY, New York DAVID DAVIS, Tennessee ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of TOM DAVIS, Virginia Columbia CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN, U.S. Virgin Islands PETER T. KING, New York (Ex Officio) BOB ETHERIDGE, North Carolina BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi (Ex Officio) VERONIQUE PLUVOISE-FENTON, Director NICHOLE FRANCIS, Counsel DANIEL WILKINS, Clerk HEATHER HOGG, Minority Senior Professional Staff Member (II) SENATE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS JOSEPH I. LIEBERMAN, Connecticut, Chairman CARL LEVIN, Michigan SUSAN M. COLLINS, Maine DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii TED STEVENS, Alaska THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware GEORGE V. VOINOVICH, Ohio MARK L. PRYOR, Arkansas NORM COLEMAN, Minnesota MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana TOM COBURN, Oklahoma BARACK OBAMA, Illinois PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri JOHN WARNER, Virginia JON TESTER, Montana JOHN E. SUNUNU, New Hampshire MICHAEL L. ALEXANDER, Staff Director BRANDON L. MILHORN, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel TRINA DRIESSNACK TYRER, Chief Clerk AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISASTER RECOVERY MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana, Chairman THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware TED STEVENS, Alaska MARK L. PRYOR, Arkansas PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico DONNY R. WILLIAMS, JR., Staff Director APRILLE C. RAABE, Minority Staff Director KELSEY STROUD, Chief Clerk (III) C O N T E N T S Page STATEMENTS The Honorable Henry Cuellar, a Representative in Congress From the State of Texas, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response ............................................................................... 1 The Honorable Charles W. Dent, a Representative in Congress From the State of Pennsylvania, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response ................................................. 3 WITNESSES PANEL I Mr. William Eric Smith, Assistant Administrator, Logistics Management, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Secu- rity: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 12 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 14 Mr. Carlos J. Castillo, Assistant Administrator, Disaster Assistance, Federal Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 21 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 14 Mr. Barney L. Brasseux, Deputy Commissioner, Federal Acquisition Service, General Services Administration: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 23 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 24 PANEL II Mr. Paul Rainwater, Executive Director, Louisiana Recovery Authority: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 43 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 46 Mr. Oliver R. Davidson, Donations Management Committee, National Vol- untary Organizations Active in Disaster: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 49 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 50 Mr. Bill Stallworth, Executive Director, East Biloxi Coordination and Relief Center: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 52 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 53 Ms. Valerie Keller, Chief Executive Officer, Acadiana Outreach Center: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 55 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 58 FOR THE RECORD Governor Scott McCallum, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aidmatrix Foundation: Statement ............................................................................................................. 3 Mr. Paul W. Rainwater, Executive Director, Louisiana Recovery Authority: Letter to Mr. Jim Stark, Submitted by Senator Mary L. Landrieu ................. 31 (V) VI Page APPENDIX Questions From Senator Mary L. Landrieu .......................................................... 69 LESSONS LEARNED: ENSURING THE DELIV- ERY OF DONATED GOODS TO SURVIVORS OF CATASTROPHES Thursday, July 31, 2008 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, PREPAREDNESS, AND RESPONSE, AND U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS, AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISASTER RECOVERY, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 1:05 p.m., in Room 311, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Henry Cuellar [Chairman of the subcommittee] presiding. Present: Representatives Cuellar, Etheridge, Thompson (ex offi- cio), Dent, and Senator Landrieu. Also present: Representative Jackson Lee. Mr. CUELLAR. The House Committee on Homeland Security and Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response, and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Af- fairs Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery will come to order. The subcommittee is meeting today to receive testimony regard- ing ‘‘Lessons Learned: Ensuring the Delivery of Donated Goods to the Survivors of Catastrophes.’’ Again, good afternoon to all. On be- half of the Members of the Subcommittee on Emergency Commu- nications, let me first of all welcome my colleagues from the Sen- ate, the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery. I would like to, of course, single out Senator Landrieu for her tireless efforts to expedite the recovery process on behalf of her constituents, who felt the full brunt of Hurricane Katrina. Senator, again, welcome. Today is a rare bicameral joint subcommittee hearing, and I want to thank our Chairman for providing this opportunity and taking the lead on this issue because, again, it is an opportunity for Members to receive testimony from key FEMA and General Services Administration, GSA, officials, along with key State offi- cials and nonprofit organizations from Louisiana and Mississippi regarding the management of donated household goods intended for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. (1) 2 FEMA’s shortcomings, in response to Hurricane Katrina, have been well documented. Today’s joint subcommittee hearing will be forward-looking in the sense that we want to examine the lessons learned to ensure that the intended survivors of this catastrophe do, in fact, receive the goods that have been donated for such pur- poses. Specifically, I am looking forward to our witnesses’ discussion. You have, No. 1, FEMA’s handling and distribution of unsolicited donated goods in response to Hurricane Katrina; and, No. 2, the current system FEMA had implemented to receive and distribute donated goods. This hearing will also be an occasion