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Texas Launches Disaster Recovery and Renewal Commission According to an article on the Government Technology website, Perry announced last week that he had created the Governor’s Commission for Disaster Recovery and Renewal, an advisory panel of public- and private-sector experts who will create a plan to assist Texas communities with recovery efforts after a natural disaster. “Two months after Ike’s landfall, Texans are still sleeping in cars or tents outside of padlocked trailers,” Perry told the publication. “Mounds of debris are piled up in coastal communities, creating health hazards while Washington remains mum about whether it will provide the same level of resources it did for Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. These situations clearly demonstrate that the federal government’s recovery system is broken. I am confident this new commission will find solutions to these challenges as well as create a plan to speed recovery and accelerate economic development.” According to the article, the commission’s initial charge will be to find ways for the state to mitigate the housing shortages occurring in coastal areas. In the long term, it will develop a report to identify critical elements to help communities fully recover from the effects of disasters. “This commission will be essential to securing the same degree of reimbursement that was awarded to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina,” said Perry. “The notion that Texas should use its hard-earned surplus dollars to cover costs that fall under the federal government's responsibility is outrageous. The idea that Washington would shower 700 billion taxpayer dollars on mismanaged Wall Street firms, then penalize a state that has exercised tough fiscal discipline by leaving it to cover the bill of the costliest disaster in its history is preposterous.” To read the full article, click here: http://www.govtech.com/gt/articles/563671
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