Selective Government Reports on Hurricanes

In August of 2005, the Atlantic Hurricane Katrina brought devastation and ruin to a large portion of the U.S. Gulf Coast. The following month, another Hurricane, Rita, swept across the coastal regions of Louisiana and Texas leaving behind a trail of wreckage and hardship. The Nation’s response to these disasters has incited examinations and criticism of the government’s approach to ensuring minimal destruction and negative impacts in the wake of such natural catastrophes.

The documents listed below are a limited selection of U.S. government reports issued after the devastating 2005 hurricane season.

Congressional Research Service (CRS)

• Report to the Congressional Committees: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: Federal Actions Could Enhance Preparedness of Certain State-Administered Federal Support Programs, February 2007 (71 pages)
• Federal Emergency Management Policy Changes After Hurricane Katrina: A Summary of Statutory Provisions, Keith Bea, Coordinator Specialist, American National Government, Government and Finance Division, Elaine Halchin, Henry Hogue, Frederick Kaiser, Natalie Love, Francis X. McCarthy, Shawn Reese, Barbara Schwemle, Government and Finance Division, December 15, 2006 (61 pages)
• Report to the Congressional Committees: Hurricane Katrina: Strategic Planning Needed to Guide Future Enhancements Beyond Interim Levee Repairs, September 2006 (53 pages)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• Statement of Gil Jamieson, Associate Deputy Administrator Gulf Coast Recovery, and David Garratt, Acting Assistant Administrator Disaster Assistance Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery, U.S. Senate, April 24, 2007 (10 pages)
• Fact Sheet: Building Stronger and Safer Mitigation Assessment Teams, July 2006 (2 pages)
• Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast: Mitigation Assessment Team Report, July 2006 (26 pages)

Joint Economic Committee Democrats

• Potential Economic Impacts of Hurricane Katrina, Senator Jack Reed, September 2005 (11 pages)

National Hurricane Center

• Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Rita 18-26 September 2005, Richard D. Knabb, Daniel P. Brown, and Jamie R. Rhome, March 17, 2006 (Updated August 14, 2006) (33 pages)
• Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Katrina 23-30 August 2005, Richard D. Knabb, Jamie R. Rhome, and Daniel P. Brown, December 20, 2005 (Updated August 10, 2006) (43 pages)

U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)

• Testimony before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations House Committee on Energy and Commerce: DoD Audit and Investigative Efforts Regarding the Hurricane Katrina Relief and Recovery, Inspector General Department of Defense, September 28, 2005 (6 pages)

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

• Impact of the 2005 Hurricanes on the Natural Gas Industries in the Gulf of Mexico Region, July 2006 (24 pages)
• Special Report: Follow-Up Review of the Department of Energy’s Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, July 2006 (12 pages)
• The Impact of Tropical Cyclones on Gulf of Mexico Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production, June 2006 (24 pages)
• The Department of Energy’s Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, November 2005 (17 pages)

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

• Statement of Matt Jadacki, Special Inspector General, Gulf Coast Hurricane Recovery Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security before the Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives, May 4, 2006 (10 pages)
• Continuing Progress: A 1-Year Update on Hurricane Recovery and Rebuilding, Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, 2006 (23 pages)

U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)

• Testimony before the Committee on the Budget, House of Representatives: Gulf Coast Rebuilding: Observations on Federal Financial Implications, August 2, 2007 (22 pages)
• Testimony before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives: Homeland Security: Observations on DHS and FEMA Efforts to Prepare for and Respond to Major and Catastrophic Disasters and Address Related Recommendations and Legislation, July 31, 2007 (38 pages)
• Preliminary Information on Rebuilding Efforts in the Gulf Coast, June 29, 2007 (43 pages)
• Testimony before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Disaster Relief: Prevention Is the Key to Minimizing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in Recovery Efforts, January 29, 2007 (16 pages)
• Testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; Hurricane Katrina: GAO’s Preliminary Observations Regarding Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, March 2006 (50 pages)
• Report to the Congressional Committees; Hurricane Katrina: Better Plans and Exercises Needed to Guide the Military's Response to Catastrophic Natural Disasters, May 2006 (72 pages)

U.S. House of Representatives

• H.R. 1227: Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007, February 28, 2007 (23 pages)
• A Failure of Initiative, Final Report of the U.S. House of Representatives Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina, February 2006 (379 pages)
  • House, Appendix 1
  • House, Appendix 2
  • House, Appendix 3
  • House, Appendix 4
  • House, Appendix 5
  • House, Appendix 6
  • House, Appendix 7
  • House, Appendix 8
  • House, Appendix 9 (March 2006)

U.S. Senate

• Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared, Report of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, May 2006 (749 pages)

The White House

• The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned, February 2006 (228 pages)