Sessions Opens Field Hearing Examining Federal Support to Communities Recovering from Hurricane Ian

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) today opened a subcommittee field hearing titled “Weathering the Storm: Oversight of the Federal Response and Recovery Efforts in Southwestern Florida Following Hurricane Ian” in Fort Myers, Florida. In his opening remarks, Subcommittee Chairman Sessions emphasized the subcommittee’s goal to assess the federal government’s work in supporting local governments, businesses, and families as they recover from the effects of Hurricane Ian and preparing for future disasters.

Below are Subcommittee Chairman Sessions’ opening remarks as prepared for delivery.

Welcome, everyone, to today’s hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Government Operations & the Federal Workforce.

The people of Florida have shown remarkable strength and determination as they continue to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

I would like to thank my colleague Congressman Byron Donalds for raising the idea for this field hearing to both focus on the needs of his constituents and help the entire country be better prepared for future disasters.

And I want to thank the men and women of all the agencies involved, at every level, for their hard work.

We gather almost one year after Hurricane Ian to take an after-action report of the federal government’s work to support local governments, businesses, families, and individual citizens recover from the effects of the storm. 

I’d like to thank our witnesses for testifying today.

To our federal witnesses, we appreciate the time you have spent with us already, helping us better understand your respective roles in disaster response and recovery. 

This includes a discussion of those actions already taken or currently underway.  

From our local witnesses, we appreciate the chance to hear your perspective on response and recovery efforts.

I have had the opportunity to speak to each of our witnesses prior to this hearing, and I will reiterate what I told each of them:

I want this to be a productive conversation.

I intend to allow all of you to tell your stories, voice your concerns, provide explanations, and offer suggestions for improvement.

While we are currently focused on Ian, we all know it won’t be the last time federal, state, and local governments must come together to rebuild communities and help put the lives of those affected back together. 

Natural disasters are not a rare occurrence for our country, but Hurricane Ian, second only to Hurricane Katrina in terms of financial losses, has proven to be a stress test.  

The federal disaster response regime involves many agencies, intricate coordination at various levels of government, and significant resources. 

Acknowledging the complexities inherent in disaster response is crucial, as it impacts the speed and efficiency of assistance reaching affected communities. 

We must commend the tireless efforts of FEMA, SBA, HUD, and other agencies who served on the front line immediately after Ian’s impact. 

Nevertheless, we must recognize challenges persist.  

There is always room for improvement in terms of communications regarding the many sources of relief and the requirements to qualify for them.

And we must look at ways application processes can be refined to both improve customer service and protect taxpayer resources. 

The federal disaster response regime is spread across a network of dozens of agencies, each working with State and local governments, private businesses, non-governmental organizations, and individual citizens to offer support following a major event. 

Considering how the interagency approach to disaster response might be improved could create benefits down the line for impacted communities. 

Through continued communication and collaboration between federal agencies, state and local governments, private citizens and community stakeholders, our nation’s disaster response can become stronger moving into the future. 

Thank you again to today’s witnesses for speaking to these important issues.