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Congress prepares to pass emergency hurricane aid

Posted on: Thursday, 1 September 2005, 16:40 CDT

By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Thursday asked Congress for $10.5 billion in emergency disaster relief for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives were poised to approve the measure by Friday.

The funds will mostly help the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which heads the disaster relief effort, help victims in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Some government experts believe the money will be exhausted within about 20 days.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff estimated that the federal government has spent "over a couple of billion" dollars since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on Monday.

Congress, which has been on a month-long break, had been due to return on Tuesday. But with the hurricane disaster unfolding, the Senate has scheduled a rare early return from recess and will vote late on Thursday on the emergency aid.

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on Friday.

The legislation is likely to sail through the House and Senate with many lawmakers still in their home states.

According to House and Senate aides, FEMA would get $10 billion in emergency funds, and the Department of Defense would receive $500 million for relief efforts.

Senate aides said there likely would be two more emergency spending bills, once there is a better assessment of needs. While they did not estimate the size of those measures, some disaster relief experets say $20 billion to $30 billion could be required.

Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said the special session was necessary because FEMA "is going through the money much faster than previously thought."

Government officials earlier this week said there was about $2.4 billion in available federal disaster relief funds that they thought could last up to a month.

But with problems mounting in New Orleans, where about 80 percent of the city is under water, relief efforts appeared more complicated, and costly, than originally thought.

Congressional leaders discussed emergency funding legislation with President George W. Bush and top aides, including Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, on Thursday.

The Gulf Coast rebuilding effort will be extensive, according to congressional appropriators, with funds needed to rebuild highways, government offices, military bases, water systems, wildlife refuges and other facilities. Thousands of homeless people need food, shelter and water, possibly over an extended period.

(Additional reporting by Vicki Allen, Adam Entous and Caren Bohan)

Source: REUTERS

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