WHEREAS
, On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made history near
New Orleans, Louisiana
; and
WHEREAS
, The hurricane's
storm surge
breached
the
levees
that protected
New Orleans
from
Lake Pontchartrain
,
flooding
most of the city; and
WHEREAS,
This and other major damage to the
coastal
regions of
Louisiana
,
Mississippi
, and
Alabama
made Katrina the most destructive and costliest
tropical cyclone
ever to hit the
United States
; and
WHEREAS,
Recent estimates have placed the
death toll
in the thousands and the
damage
higher than $200 billion, topping
Hurricane Andrew
as the most expensive
natural disaster
in
U.S.
history. Over a million people were displaced — a
humanitarian crisis
on a scale unseen in the U.S. since the
Great Depression
; and
WHEREAS
, The possibility of terrorist incidents in the United States concerns many people; and
WHEREAS
, The main goals of terrorism are to disrupt the public’s sense of safety, create feelings of vulnerability and fear, intimidate and coerce; and
WHEREAS
, There are five categories of weapons terrorists use to accomplish these goals- Chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals, Biological agents or toxins, Radioactive dispersal devices or "dirty bombs," Nuclear devices, Explosive and incendiary devices; and
WHEREAS
, During an emergency, the more we have planned ahead of time, the calmer and more assured we and our families will be; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA
, That City Council’s Committee on Public Safety is authorized to hold a public hearing to investigate the City of Philadelphia’s current policies and procedures in the event of a major emergency – In light of the latest terrorist and natural disasters, the need for a uniform plan is overwhelming; and, in furtherance of such investigation, is authorized to issuance of subpoenas to compel the attendance of witnesses and the production of documents to the full extent authorized under section 2-401 of the Home Rule Charter.
End