(Washington, DC) By unanimous consent, the Senate today adopted a resolution of praise for employees of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for their heroic efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

The resolution was offered by Sen. Larry Craig, Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), the Ranking Member of the Committee, with support from Louisiana Sens. Mary Landrieu (D) and David Vitter (R).

"The examples of sacrifice and heroics are countless," Sen. Craig said in remarks prepared for delivery. "These dedicated doctors, nurses, and supporting staff worked countless hours providing medical assistance, shelter and comfort to the evacuated VA patients, employees, and their families."

The Department of Veterans Affairs operates 11 medical centers, 18 community-based outpatient clinics, three regional offices, and eight national cemeteries in the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.

"Before the storm hit, VA workers oversaw the evacuation of 166 patients in Mississippi and Louisiana. In addition, VA workers had the foresight to transfer copies of electronic medical records from the New Orleans VA Medical Center to the VA facility in Houston so that those records would be available on a national level. The bottom line is that this careful preparation before the storm hit saved lives,"

"Incredibly with over 1,000 people evacuated in total, not one life was lost," Craig said.

Here is the text of the resolution (S. Res. 263) the Senate adopted:

Whereas

Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs evacuated over 1,000 patients, employees, and their families from facilities in the affected areas without any loss of life due to the evacuations;

Whereas

That the Senate commends the employees and volunteers of the Department of Veterans Affairs, who risked life and limb to assist veterans, staff, and their respective families who were affected by Hurricane Katrina.

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