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A sight to see
Friday, June 2, 2006
Dozens of members of Congress traveled to greater New Orleans
over the past nine months to see the devastation here firsthand. So
far, the total is 135.
That is an impressive number. And much of the credit for the visits
goes to Women of the Storm, who have made it their mission to get
senators and representatives from across the country to visit our
storm-ravaged region.
But while 135 members is a sizable group -- and their interest is
greatly appreciated -- that still leaves 400 members who have yet to
visit. Seven states have had no member of Congress to make the trip:
Indiana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, West Virginia and
Wisconsin.
"As we enter the 2006 hurricane season, it is important for our
nation's leaders to realize that we in Louisiana remain vulnerable,"
said Anne Milling, the founder of Women of the Storm. It is absolutely
crucial that Congress appreciates just how vulnerable we are -- and how
much damage still exists so many months after Katrina.
The benefits of these visits are obvious. Virtually every person who
comes here says the same thing: I didn't understand how bad it was
until I saw it in person.
For members of Congress, who have immense control over our recovery,
the first-hand view can be a mind-changing experience. Some members who
had been opposed to aid for South Louisiana went back to Washington
with a different attitude.
The need for federal aid is obvious to people who live here, but
outsiders may wonder why the nation should spend so much on our
recovery. If they see the miles of devastation -- much of it caused by
flaws in the flood protection system built by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers -- they are less likely to wonder anymore.
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