Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine will visit the hurricane-devastated Gulf Coast region to see firsthand the damage and recovery efforts.

Collins opened a Homeland Security Committee investigation of government actions after the hurricane Wednesday by saying that all of the money spent since Sept. 11 attacks should have yielded “crisp response.”

She’ll be traveling Friday with the ranking Democrat on her committee, Joseph Lieberman, along with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, and several other of her colleagues.

Collins and her colleagues are expected to visit New Orleans and areas of Mississippi and Alabama affected by the storm.

On Monday, Snowe will pay a visit to the Gulf Coast as well, traveling with Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Tom Collins. Snowe is chairwoman of the Senate Commerce subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Coast Guard.