Secretary Chertoff Testifies on Hurricane Katrina Response
"...we must improve operational capabilities and become a 21st century department -- with the focus, discipline, and technology that are the hallmarks of all great 21st century organizations."
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. "The scope of the damage is unprecedented -- with some 90,000 square miles of impacted areas -- an area larger than Great Britain and three-and-a-half times the area inundated by the Great Mississippi flood of 1927...The relief effort, of course, was also unprecedented. Within the first six days of the response, the Federal government delivered more than 28 million pounds of ice, 8 1/2 million meals, and 4 million gallons of water.This exceeds the combined totals for the entire recovery operation during Hurricane Andrew."
