Dec. 18, 2005
 
Rahall Visits Flooded Areas in New Orleans
 
By HNN Staff
 

U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-WV, left, and former Assistant Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Greg Gasperecz examine areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Washington, DC (HNN) – U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), who spent much of the last weekend in New Orleans touring the affected areas and speaking with residents about recovery efforts, returned with a burning question for the Republican leadership: "Can't we afford America?"
 
"It is clear, especially after seeing the damage first-hand, that it will take billions of dollars to rebuild New Orleans," Rahall said. "We have spent more than $300 billion in Iraq and Afghanistan, yet this Republican Congress doesn't have a vision of the future for New Orleans."
 
While in New Orleans, Rahall was escorted by former Assistant Secretary of Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Greg Gasperecz. The Congressman remarked that the effects of the hurricane and its aftermath are eerily similar to the natural disasters that have hit West Virginia in recent years.
 
"There are displaced families, businesses boarded up, and thousands of citizens waiting for someone to provide some guidance to a quick and sound recovery," Rahall said. "So far, the promises made to those who call New Orleans home have gone unfulfilled and that is unacceptable."
 
Parts of southern West Virginia, too, are still recovering from the major floods of the past five years and waiting eagerly for assistance. Many families displaced by those floods have yet to be able to move back to their homes. And the necessary investment from the Corps of Engineers to prevent this kind of flood from happening again has yet to be secured.
 
"It is long past time to look inward and focus on the many issues confronting Americans in America," Rahall said. "The Administration and this Congress have decisions to make, for the sake of New Orleans, for the sake of West Virginia and for the sake of all of us who have been-and will be again-affected by severe flooding."