General Services Administration Federal Facilities Affected by Hurricane Katrina

General Services Administration Federal
Facilities Affected by Hurricane Katrina
Clay H. Wellborn
Specialist in American National Government
Government and Finance Division
Summary
Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, causing widespread
flooding and significant infrastructure damage to 83 federal facilities in Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama. The General Services Administration (GSA) is the federal
government’s primary real property agency, with 11 regional offices that oversee GSA
owned and leased federal buildings and courthouses. As of September 21, 2007, one
leased building remained closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in GSA’s
Southeast Region 4, which includes Alabama and Mississippi. In GSA’s Greater
Southwest Region 7, one GSA facility remained closed in Louisiana. GSA courthouse
facilities in New Orleans, LA, which were temporarily relocated¹ to Houston, TX,^th
reopened in New Orleans on January 9, 2006. The 109 Congress authorized $38
million to GSA’s Federal Buildings Fund for repairs to damaged federal facilities (119
Stat. 2782). No legislation pertaining to hurricane-damaged federal facilities has been
introduced in the 110^th Congress. This report will not be updated.
Introduction and Background²
Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, causing significant
infrastructure damage to 83 GSA owned and leased federal buildings and courthouses in
Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, necessitating the eventual relocation of 2,600
federal employees from 28 federal agencies. Sixteen of the damaged federal buildings
owned by GSA provided 1.7 million square feet of office space, and the remaining 67

¹ P.L. 109-63 (119 Stat. 1993), the Judiciary Emergency Special Sessions Act of 2005, authorizes
any federal court of appeals or district or bankruptcy court to hold special sessions outside its
judicial circuit at any place within the United States in the event of emergency conditions when
no location within the circuit is reasonably available.
² This report was written by Stephanie Smith, who has retired from CRS. The currently listed
CRS author has made no changes in the original text.

GSA-leased facilities totaled 1.3 million sq. ft. in rented space.³ GSA, through its Public
Buildings Service (PBS), is the primary federal real property and asset management
agency, with 11 regional offices that oversee GSA owned and leased federal buildings and
courthouses. GSA is also responsible for the design and construction of federal
courthouses within GSA’s 11 regional districts. GSA’s Southeast Region 4 includes
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, and
Tennessee. As of September 21, 2007, one leased facility remained closed (see Table 1).
The states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas comprise GSA’s
Greater Southwest Region 7, with one GSA-owned facility remaining closed to the public
(see Table 2), as of September 21, 2007.
Federal Buildings. GSA field personnel began advanced preparations to secure
GSA buildings as soon as weather predictions indicated that Hurricane Katrina would
make landfall. Preparations included fueling generators, shutting down electrical systems,
placing sand bags, and boarding up the lower levels of multi-storied buildings. Although
not all GSA owned and leased facilities suffered major structural damage in the affected
areas, there was no supporting critical infrastructure, such as water, electricity, sewage
systems, or even accessible roads to reach the federal facilities. There were also related
environmental concerns that might affect the health and safety of federal employees in the
affected areas. More than 30 GSA technical and building specialists conducted building
inspections to assess when federal facilities might be reopened. GSA used trailers and
obtained emergency 180-day leases in surrounding areas to provide temporary office
space.⁴ A related problem was that many federal employees were forced to evacuate to
areas located away from federal facilities when their homes were destroyed by Hurricane
Katrina.
In order to accommodate workers who formerly resided and worked in New Orleans
and relocated to Baton Rouge, GSA leased temporary office space in this general area.
According to GSA regional specialists, it was a difficult task to find suitable office space
for all of its federal tenants, and the administration was forced to use leasing and
relocation priorities. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, GSA first leased all available
office space in Baton Rouge, which was urgently needed by the Department of Homeland
Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Leased office space
in Baton Rouge was obtained by GSA for the Social Security Administration, and the
Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement⁵
Administration. GSA signed a lease in the Baton Rouge area to house Department of the

³ U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Emergency Lease
Requirements Act of 2005, report to accompany S. 1708, 109^th Congress, 2^nd sess., S.Rept. 109-

214 (Washington: GPO, 2006), p. 1.

⁴ 40 U.S.C. § 3307(e) authorizes the GSA Administrator to enter into an emergency lease
agreement for not more than 180 days, without prior congressional approval of a lease^th
prospectus. Two bills introduced in the 109 Congress, S. 1708 and H.R. 4125, would have
amended current law to authorize the GSA Administrator to enter into emergency lease
agreements during a major disaster, without prior congressional approval of a lease prospectus.^th
Neither bill was enacted before adjournment of the 109 Congress.
⁵ GSA leases office space to several law enforcement agencies in New Orleans. According to
GSA, the names and locations of this leased office space were not included in GSA’s public
(continued...)

Treasury Internal Revenue Service employees formerly located in New Orleans. GSA
officials also leased available office space in Lafayette, LA; Shreveport, LA; and Jackson,
MS, to accommodate other federal tenants. GSA completed inspections of administration-
leased facilities as soon as possible to determine the extent of structural damage. When
GSA specialists determined that the leased properties were not fully habitable, the agency
notified landlords that existing leases would be terminated within 15 days after
notification. GSA officials also stated that, in many instances, it was difficult for the
agency to locate landlords who had relocated elsewhere.
Courthouses. According to the Administrative Office of the Courts, the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit returned the court’s operations to its New Orleans
headquarters at the John Minor Wisdom Court of Appeals on January 9, 2006. Regular
panel hearings of the court began in February 2006.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, two GSA-owned federal courthouses, the John
Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Hale Boggs Federal
Building and U.S. Federal Courthouse for the Fifth Circuit, were closed in New Orleans.
Both courthouses suffered wind damage, broken windows, and roof leaks, but the⁶
buildings’ structures are intact. On December 12, 2005, GSA reported that both the Hale
Boggs and the John Minor Wisdom courthouses had reopened to the public. The U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit relocated to the U.S. Federal Courthouse in
Houston, TX, for a three-month period, with court business resuming on September 21,⁷
2005. Many judges and court employees lost their homes in the New Orleans area, and
temporary housing was obtained for them in Gonzalez, LA, centrally located between
Baton Rouge and New Orleans. GSA-leased court space in Houma, LA, was also acquired
for district court judges and court staff who were formerly located in the Hale Boggs U.S.
Federal Courthouse.
The Dan M. Russell, Jr. U.S. Federal Courthouse for theFifth Circuit, Gulfport, MS,
was also closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Preliminary reports indicated that
the building was intact, but had sustained severe water and wind damage. Court
operations were initially suspended for 30 days and relocated to Jackson, MS. Housing
was sought for judges and staff throughout the district who lost their homes because of
Hurricane Katrina. On December 12, 2005, GSA reported that the courthouse had
resumed partial operations. A fourth GSA-owned courthouse, the John A. Campbell U.S.
Federal Courthouse for the Eleventh Circuit, Mobile, AL, was closed due to damaged
mechanical systems; however, both the Southern District of Alabama district and
bankruptcy courts resumed operations in the courthouse.

⁵ (...continued)
listing of closed facilities for reasons of security.
⁶ Information on the status of the courts was obtained from the Administrative Office of the
Courts, Office of Legislative Affairs, on Sept. 16, 2005, and from GSA regional specialists on
Sept. 15, 2005.
⁷ 119 Stat. 1993.

Congressional Initiatives in the 109^th Congress
Hurricane Katrina was responsible for significant infrastructure damage to 83 GSA
owned and leased federal buildings and courthouses. The 109^th Congress authorized $38
million to GSA’s Federal Buildings Fund for repairs to the damaged federal facilities.⁸
In order to accommodate nearly 2,600 displaced federal tenants from 28 federal
agencies, GSA leased temporary office space in Baton Rouge, LA; Lafayette, LA; and
Jackson, MS. Current law⁹ authorizes the GSA Administrator to enter into an emergency
lease agreement during any period declared by the President to require emergency leasing
authority. An emergency lease may not be for more than 180 days, without prior
congressional approval of a lease prospectus.¹⁰
S. 1708. In the Senate, S. 1708, the Emergency Lease Requirements Act of 2005,
was introduced by Senator James Inhofe and 11 bipartisan cosponsors on September 15,
2005. The proposed legislation would have amended current law to authorize the GSA
Administrator to enter into emergency lease agreements during a major disaster or other
emergency declared by the President or the head of a federal agency under applicable
federal law. The term of an emergency lease could not have exceeded five years without
congressional approval of a lease prospectus. The GSA Administrator would have been
required to submit an annual report describing any emergency lease to the House
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on
Environment and Public Works by April 1 of each year. On September 15, 2005, S. 1708
was referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.The bill was
reported without amendment on January 26, 2006, and placed on the Senate Legislative¹¹^th
Calendar. No further action was taken on S. 1708 in the 109 Congress.
H.R. 4125. On October 25, 2005, H.R. 4125 was introduced in the House by
Representative Bill Shuster and two bipartisan cosponsors. House bill H.R. 4125 would
have authorized the GSA Administrator to make repairs on federal buildings that were
damaged by Gulf Coast hurricanes without prior congressional approval of a prospectus.
The proposed legislation would also have authorized the GSA Administrator to enter into
emergency lease agreements for up to five years. The GSA Administrator’s emergency
authorities would have been valid for one year following enactment of H.R. 4125. At least
five days before making any building repairs, the GSA Administrator would have been
required to submit reports to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and

⁸ 119 Stat. 2782.
⁹ 40 U.S.C. § 3307(e).
¹⁰ As part of the funding authorization process for new construction or leasing proposals, GSA
is required to submit a prospectus containing project and cost specifications to the Office of
Management and Budget, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and the
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for approval. For a detailed discussion,
see CRS Report RS22287, General Services Administration Prospectus Thresholds for Owned
and Leased Federal Facilities, by Stephanie Smith
¹¹ U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Emergency Lease
Requirements Act of 2005, report to accompany S. 1708, 109^th Congress, 2^nd sess., S.Rept. 109-

214.

the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee detailing costs and completion
estimates. No later than 15 days after completion, the GSA Administrator would have
been required to submit a final report stating total repair costs. The proposed legislation
would also have required the GSA Administrator to submit a detailed report to the House
and Senate Committees no later than 10 days after entering into an emergency lease
agreement. H.R. 4125 was reported favorably by the House Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure on June 27, 2006, and placed on the Union Calendar.¹² No further
action was taken on H.R. 4125 before adjournment of the 109^th Congress.
Pending Legislation in the 110^th Congress
No legislation pertaining to hurricane-damaged federal facilities has been introduced
in the 110^th Congress.
Table 1 indicates the one federal facility that remained closed in GSA Region 4, as
of September 21, 2007.
Table 1. Hurricane-Damaged Federal Facilities in GSA Region 4,
as of September 21, 2007
Name LocationLeased orOwnedCurrentStatusSize (in sq. ft.)
Hancock Bank PlazaGulfport, MSLeasedClosed2,555
^Source:^{U.S. Gen}^e^r^a^l^Ser^v^ices^A^d^mⁱⁿⁱ^str^a^tioⁿ^,^Gover^{nment Facilities}^St^atus^{and Infor}^m^ation^{, S}^e^pt^em^ber
^{21, 2007, 1 p.}
Table 2 indicates the one federal facility that remained closed in GSA Region 7, as
of September 21, 2007.
Table 2. Hurricane-Damaged Federal Facilities in GSA Region 7,
as of September 21, 2007
^Na^m^e^L^o^ca^tioⁿ^L^e^as^ed^or^Owⁿ^e^d^{Current Status}^Size⁽ⁱⁿ^s^q^{. ft.)}
^New^Orlean^{s C}^u^sto^m^s^N^e^w^O^r^l^ean^s^,^L^A^O^wⁿ^e^d^C^l^o^s^e^d^304,893
^Ho^u^s^e
^Source:^{U.S. Gen}^e^r^a^{l Ser}^v^ices^A^d^mⁱⁿⁱ^str^a^tioⁿ^,^Gover^{nment Facilities}^St^atus^{and Infor}^m^ation,^S^e^pt^em^ber
^{21, 2007, 1 p.}

¹² U.S. Congress, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Authority of GSA to
Make Repairs and Lease Space in Response to Damages Attributable to Hurricane Katrina or^th^nd
Hurricane Rita, report to accompany H.R. 4125, 109 Cong., 2 sess., H.Rept. 109-532.