Authorizing City Council's Committee on Public Safety 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, authorizing the 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.

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