[StBernard] U.S. Representatives On Katrina Select Committee Tour Area

[Westley Annis]

U.S. Rep. Charles Melancon, D-Louisiana, who represents the St. Bernard
Parish area in Congress, said Thursday he is disappointed that so few
members of Congress have come to personally see the destruction that
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused.

The damage done to St. Bernard, Plaquemines and parts of New Orleans by
Katrina "is a whole lot worse than what has been said,'' Melancon said in
the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans while on a tour being conducted by the
Katrina Select Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, which also
included a trip into St. Bernard.

He met with St. Bernard Parish President Henry "Junior'' Rodriguez and said
"less than 50 House members have bothered to come'' to see the destruction.
More members of Congress, especially those reluctant to spend money for
rebuilding Louisiana, should see what it looks like and talk to residents,
Melancon said.

"Let them come and see what happened. If they don't they will never fathom''
what still needs to be done, Melancon said as he stood near the spot where
the Industrial Canal levee broke, sending flood water into the lower 9th
Ward as well as Arabi and part of Chalmette.

"Let them talk to the people who have been devastated'' by the storm,
Melancon said of congressmen.

But he said he believes grass roots pressure is building from across the
nation by people who don't want the federal government to forget about what
happened.

Rodriguez said, "I just hope they won't forget.''

Other U.S. representatives on the tour included William Jefferson,
D-Louisiana; Tom Davis, R-Va; Chip Pickering, R-Miss., Bill Shuster, R-Pa.,
Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga.