The communities of south Alabama will recover - as they always have - from this latest storm, but it will take some time. After talking to officials of the federal government about the impact on our neighbors to the west, it is very clear that the recovery there will take much longer.

Nearly two weeks have passed since Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast, and while we are still dealing with the tremendous devastation - and will be for quite some time - we are also seeing increased signs of recovery and help in our region.

I was particularly honored that Dr. Rice - the first-ever secretary of state from Alabama - spent so much time with us on Sunday one week ago. Dr. Rice clearly showed that her heart was with her fellow Alabamians.

I am certain more emergency supplemental bills will be needed before this process is concluded. In fact, there is a point I have repeated several times recently which keeps the enormity of this situation in perspective.

Hurricane Katrina this past week was certainly the worst episode in what has become an all-too-familiar and tragic cycle, and our nation is now faced with a set of unprecedented challenges.

In the time since passage of the act, there have been many successes as a result of the measures put into place by the PATRIOT Act.

In an effort to provide my constituents with information on how they can make contributions to a number of relief and humanitarian organizations, I have posted a short list of these groups and contact numbers on my Internet website.

I have been extremely gratified by the strong support shown to south Alabama by the administration in the aftermath of the storm.

I am very aware that there are many of you who have friends and loved ones in the areas affected by this storm who have been displaced or who have not yet been accounted for.