Whereas, on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane and 1 of the 5 deadliest hurricanes in United States history, hit the Gulf Coast and caused 1,833 recorded fatalities, including 1,577 in Louisiana, 238 in Mississippi, 14 in Florida, 2 in Georgia, and 2 in Alabama, according to the National Hurricane Center;

Whereas Hurricane Katrina inflicted catastrophic damage, estimated at $161,000,000,000 in the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida;

Whereas more than 1,200,000 people were under some type of evacuation order, including New Orleans’ first mandatory evacuation in the city’s history;

Whereas more than 1,000,000 Gulf Coast residents were displaced, and many remain displaced to this day;

Whereas hundreds of thousands were unemployed as a result of the devastation to businesses;

Whereas more than 200,000 homes and 20,000 businesses from Louisiana to Florida were destroyed;

Whereas an estimated 5,000,000 people were left without power, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency;

Whereas major highways were destroyed, including the Interstate 10 Twin Span Bridge connecting the cities of New Orleans and Slidell in Louisiana and United States Highway No. 90 bridges connecting Bay St. Louis to Pass Christian and Biloxi to Ocean Springs in Mississippi;

Whereas the Louisiana Superdome sheltered an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 evacuees and suffered roof leaks and other significant damage from strong winds;

Whereas neighboring cities and States took in thousands of displaced residents and provided medical care and shelter at makeshift hospitals, such as the Katrina Clinic at the Astrodome (formerly named the Reliant Center) in Houston, Texas;

Whereas the United States Coast Guard rescued more than 33,544 people and assisted with the evacuation of 9,409 patients and medical personnel from 11 hospitals;

Whereas the United States Armed Forces orchestrated one of the largest domestic rescue operations in history, with command centers at the Emergency Operations Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, near downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, and Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi;

Whereas the resident population of the Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, Mississippi, metropolitan statistical area was 421,916 in March 2024, an 87-percent increase over its lowest point of 225,681 in 2006;

Whereas the number of tourists who visited New Orleans was 17,500,000 in 2022, up from 3,700,000 tourists in 2006;

Whereas, on September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita, a Category 3 hurricane, hit the Gulf Coast and caused 120 recorded fatalities, across Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Texas, according to the National Hurricane Center;

Whereas Hurricane Rita inflicted catastrophic damage, estimated at $10,000,000,000 in the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, making it one of the costliest storms in United States history;

Whereas more than 2,500,000 people were under some type of evacuation order across Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi;

Whereas more than 1,000,000 Gulf Coast residents were displaced, and many remain displaced to this day;

Whereas hundreds of thousands of people were unemployed as a result of the devastation to businesses;

Whereas more than 20,000 homes and 20,000 businesses from Texas to Mississippi were destroyed;

Whereas an estimated 2,000,000 people were left without power, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency;

Whereas the United States Coast Guard rescued more than 100 people and assisted with the evacuation of 4,000 patients and medical personnel from several facilities in Texas and Louisiana;

Whereas the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, America’s Second Harvest (now known as Feeding America), Catholic Charities, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, United Way, and other religious and charitable organizations provided crucial food, water, and hygiene products to victims;

Whereas countless first responders, such as police officers, emergency medical personnel, and firefighters, from across the United States worked around the clock to provide care for and to protect the safety of residents from the affected communities;

Whereas those affected have shown great resilience and strength to rebuild and restore their communities; and

Whereas, although significant progress has been made in the Gulf Coast region, there is still more work to be done to address the challenges still attributable to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita: Now, therefore, be it