(Warwick, R.I.)–Congressman Jim Langevin, a member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, today announced that he is conducting a Homeland Security assessment of each city and town in Rhode Island's Second Congressional District.  The results of the survey, to be released in September, will provide Langevin and other lawmakers with a comprehensive resource with which to advocate for specific funding and initiatives to better equip our local communities.

 Working with the House Democratic Task Force on Homeland Security, Langevin and his colleagues are trying to answer two fundamental questions:

“Are we doing all we can to secure our hometowns?”

“What do our communities need?”

“September 11th was a stark reminder that homeland security in local communities must be strengthened immediately,” said Congressman Langevin.  “Securing our homeland, at the local, state and federal level, is an immediate necessity. Lawmakers need to know if our families and hometowns are as secure as possible and champion the most effective proposals to keep Americans safe from terrorism.”

The four-page survey is divided into five sections: community priorities, local concerns, adequate funding, vulnerabilities and assistance from federal government.  Surveys have been mailed to police and fire chiefs, hospitals, universities, mayors, town administrators, council members, emergency management experts and other officials who are involved in the state’s homeland security efforts. 

In June, the Task Force on Homeland Security held a public forum on Capitol Hill, to which it invited a number of local officials, homeland security workers, and experts (including the Director of the Rhode Island Disaster Initiative) to testify about their experiences securing their hometowns since 9-11. The substantive evidence they provided pointed to serious threats and funding shortfalls that must be addressed immediately.

“If Congress is to provide the necessary funding to prepare our communities for first response needs, then we must know what those needs are,” Langevin added.  “Only those on the front lines of government and homeland security in Rhode Island can provide an accurate assessment of the state’s readiness.”

-30-