E1780 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 7, 2005 RECOGNITION OF PASTOR victims, nor did they act swiftly to ensure the is the only major American city below sea LEONARD P. BUELOW City’s public safety. As the richest nation in level, and the Federal Government was well the world and the world’s only superpower, we aware of the flooding threat to the city in the HON. MARK GREEN ought to be ashamed. With so many troops event of a hurricane. Just last July, the Fed- OF WISCONSIN abroad in Iraq attempting to secure a whole eral Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES nation, it is inexcusable that we cannot secure conducted a five-day hurricane exercise simu- one city on our own shores. lating the effects that a powerful storm would Wednesday, September 7, 2005 That is why I am pleased that Congress have on New Orleans. During the apocalyptic Mr. GREEN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, it is acted quickly today to pass legislation pro- simulation, 120 mile per hour wind gusts and my honor to recognize before this House Pas- viding $10.5 billion in emergency funds for the 20 inches of rain combined to top the levees, tor Leonard P. Buelow in observance of his relief and recovery from Hurricane Katrina. forcing the evacuation of more than one mil- 50th year in active ministry. Pastor Buelow’s The Supplemental Appropriations Act will de- lion residents. service and commitment to his congregations liver $10 billion in emergency aid for FEMA Yet despite the lessons learned from that over the last 50 years has been both admi- and $500 million for the Department of De- exercise the Bush administration stunningly rable and inspirational. He continues to serve fense. neglected to heed the threat. his parishioners with the same dedication and However, this is only a down payment. The President slashed funding for the enthusiasm as he did when he was first or- FEMA is currently spending $500 million a day Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control dained. and under this scenario, the $10 billion for Project (SELA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- Pastor Buelow began his career in the FEMA will provide only another 20 days as neers’ project to control flooding in the New Christian ministry by attending and graduating they continue to assess the needs of the dev- Orleans area, to $10.4 million, one-sixth of from Concordia Seminary in Springfield, IL, in astated communities. what local officials had said they needed. 1954. He was ordained on September 11, It could take months for families to find Funding for Army Corps projects have been 1955, and went on to serve the congregation homes and establish some sort of normalcy in cut across the board for the last few years by of St. James Lutheran Church of Shawano, their day-to-day life, and I call on the Presi- this administration and this Congress, whose WI, until 1965. Then, from 1965 to 1992, Pas- dent and the Federal Government to remain reckless tax-cutting, combined with funding tor Buelow led the congregation of the Re- committed to helping people rebuild their lives. cuts and National Guard deployments to Iraq, deemer Lutheran Church of Green Bay, WI. Each of us has in some way been person- have sharply increased vulnerability to natural Following his service at Redeemer Lutheran, ally touched by this horrific tragedy. For my disaster in this country. It is worth noting that he went on to found Christ the King Evan- wife Dianne and I, it was waiting for our more than 7,000 soldiers from the Louisiana gelical Lutheran Church in Green Bay, WI, youngest son, Evan, to make his way to our and Mississippi National Guard are stationed where he continues to serve as their full-time house after escaping the disaster of New Orle- in Iraq, including more than 3,000 from the minister. During his tenure with these con- ans. We were further touched as we learned 256th Brigade Combat Team based in New gregations, Pastor Buelow has earned the rep- that a family member of a parishioner at the Orleans. utation of being a true leader of the church Church I pastor, St. James United Methodist, Even as the hurricane was hitting land as a and a tireless servant of God. was given refuge by a kind elderly couple after Category 4 storm, the administration failed to Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize being stranded in a home surrounded by mobilize help. Dr. Max Mayfield, Director of Pastor Leonard P. Buelow for his years of water. Fortunately, the Coast Guard rescued the National Hurricane Center, said that both dedicated service to the church and his con- them all on Sunday morning. All of us have a Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff gregation. His guidance and compassion will duty to reach out to those in greatest need. and FEMA Director Mike Brown were made continue to be cherished for many years to Americans will stand strong together to help aware of the storm’s potential in the days come. our brothers and sisters in their time of dire leading up to its landfall, yet it took until Fri- f need, and the Kansas City area is no excep- day, September 2nd, four days after the storm tion. Children’s Mercy Hospital has already hit, for any meaningful National Guard pres- EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL AP- opened their doors to twenty-four sick children ence to arrive to relieve the burden on local PROPRIATIONS ACT TO MEET IM- and their families flown in from New Orleans Guard units, bring about law and order, and MEDIATE NEEDS ARISING FROM by the Missouri Air National Guard, and the ease suffering. The first 72 hours after a dis- THE CONSEQUENCES OF HURRI- Red Cross has raised hundreds of thousands aster are the most important in terms of sav- CANE KATRINA, 2005 of dollars from Kansas Citians. The outpouring ing lives, and this administration completely of support from across the country has been failed in that regard. SPEECH OF phenomenal, and I am confident that our citi- Sadly, the 200,000 or so people who did not HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER zens will remain resolute until the job is done. evacuate the city in time were overwhelmingly OF MISSOURI f those who were too poor, old, or sick to leave. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES It is they who have suffered the most from the EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL AP- Friday, September 2, 2005 gross Federal Government incompetence be- PROPRIATIONS ACT TO MEET IM- fore, during, and after the storm. MEDIATE NEEDS ARISING FROM Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, my heart and f my prayers go out to all those caught in the THE CONSEQUENCES OF HURRI- path of Hurricane Katrina and the conditions CANE KATRINA, 2005 HONORING WILLIAM THOMAS they are suffering in its wake. Katrina was a ‘‘KETER’’ BETTS hurricane of biblical proportions that has left SPEECH OF thousands of people without food, clean water, HON. JIM McDERMOTT HON. BARBARA LEE shelter and medicine, particularly those people OF WASHINGTON OF CALIFORNIA stranded in New Orleans where conditions are IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES absolutely unlivable and public safety is vir- tually nonexistent. They have waited for days Friday, September 2, 2005 Wednesday, September 7, 2005 hoping for at least some sort of information Mr. MCDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, last Mon- Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, Mr. CONYERS and I about when they might get to escape their rav- day, August 29th, Hurricane Katrina hit Lou- rise today to honor the extraordinary life and aged city and where they will go next. isiana and Mississippi as a Category 4 storm, achievements of one of the great artistic With the chaos and looting that has ensued with winds of over 140 miles per hour. We all voices of our time, William Thomas ‘‘Keter’’ in New Orleans, it is critical that our govern- know the aftermath of that terrible storm: thou- Betts of Silver Spring, Maryland. A legend in ment get in there and provide the necessary sands dead, more than a million refugees, bil- the world of jazz for over 50 years, Keter was relief—not tomorrow, not next week, but right lions of dollars in damage, and a major Amer- not only a bassist of incomparable talent, but now. People are dying on the streets; the ican city rendered uninhabitable. The greatest an original artist, devoted teacher, and won- President and the Federal Government cannot tragedy of all is that, for the most part, this derful friend. He passed away in Maryland on afford to waste another minute. could have been avoided. August 6, 2005 at the age of 77. It is inexcusable that the President and his The President told us that he didn’t ‘‘think Keter Betts was born in 1928 in Port Ches- administration did not act more swiftly to pro- anyone anticipated the breach of the levees,’’ ter, New York. He discovered music as a child vide the basic necessities of survival to the a misinformed statement at best. New Orleans when one day, while running an errand for his VerDate Aug 18 2005 05:14 Sep 08, 2005 Jkt 039060 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A07SE8.070 E07SEPT1 September 7, 2005 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1781 mother, he encountered a parade and was so a degree in business, but soon learned he had section 9508(c)(1) as subsection 9508(c). As fascinated by the music that he followed it all been called up for active duty.