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Skriven 2005-09-15 23:32:58 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0509157) for Thu, 2005 Sep 15
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Fact Sheet: President Bush Addresses the Nation on Recovery From Katrina
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 15, 2005

Fact Sheet: President Bush Addresses the Nation on Recovery From Katrina




Today, President Bush Addressed The Nation And The Victims Of Hurricane
Katrina On Relief Efforts And The Path To Recovery For The Gulf Coast. The
American people share in the sorrow of the residents of the Gulf Coast as
we search for loved ones and grieve for the dead. We have seen our fellow
citizens left stunned and uprooted and witnessed the kind of desperation no
citizen of this great and generous Nation should ever have to know. We have
also seen courage and kindness to make Americans proud. The Coast Guard,
first responders, religious congregations, and families have all lent a
hand to their neighbors in need. The trials we have seen on the Gulf Coast
remind us that we are stronger than we know and that we are all tied
together in this Nation. At these times, it can be hard to imagine a bright
future for the Gulf Coast, but that future will come.

  þ Victims Of Katrina Need To Know They Are Not Alone. Many victims are
    far from home, friends, and familiar things. They need to know that our
    whole Nation cares about them and that in the journey ahead, they are
    not alone. We will do what it takes and stay as long as it takes to
    help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives. There is no
    way to imagine America without New Orleans, and that great city will
    rise again.

The President Outlined Three Major Commitments For Recovery Along The Gulf
Coast

We Must Meet The Immediate Needs Of Those Who Have Had To Leave All Behind.
The Department of Homeland Security is registering evacuee households in
shelters, churches, and private homes near and far from the Gulf Coast. The
President has signed an order providing immediate assistance to people from
the disaster area. As of today, more than 500,000 evacuee families have
received emergency help to pay for food, clothing, and other essentials.
Many families were separated during the evacuation and should call
1-877-568-3317 for help to reunite and assistance with travel expenses.

  þ The Government Is Working To Deliver Benefits And Services To Evacuees
    Quickly And Efficiently. The Department of Health and Human Services
    has sent in more than 1,500 health professionals along with over 50
    tons of medical supplies, including vaccines, antibiotics, and medicine
    for chronic conditions such as diabetes. The Social Security
    Administration is delivering checks. The Department of Labor is helping
    displaced persons apply for temporary jobs and unemployment benefits.
    And the Postal Service is registering new addresses so that people can
    get their mail.

  þ Congress Has Passed, And The President Has Signed, More Than $60
    Billion In Assistance. These funds will carry out the first stages of
    the relief effort and begin the rebuilding. This is an unprecedented
    response to an unprecedented crisis, which demonstrates the compassion
    and resolve of our Nation.

  þ The Work Of Recovery Is Moving Forward. In nearly all of Mississippi,
    electricity has been restored. Trade is starting to return to the Port
    of New Orleans, and agricultural shipments are moving down the
    Mississippi River. Workers have already begun to repair damage to
    highways and bridges, and airports in New Orleans and Gulfport have
    already re-opened. All major gasoline pipelines are operating, and we
    have not seen the supply disruptions that many feared. The breaks in
    the levees have been closed, the pumps are running, and the water in
    New Orleans is now receding. Environmental officials are on the ground
    taking water samples and working to get drinking water and waste water
    treatment systems operating again. Professionals are carrying out the
    sad duties of gathering the dead, treating them with respect, and
    preparing them for their rest.

We Must Help The Citizens Of The Gulf Coast Rebuild Their Lives And Their
Communities. Miles along the Gulf Coast have been swept clean by wind and
water. Many thousands of homes in Mississippi are damaged or destroyed.
Over a quarter million houses in New Orleans and surrounding parishes are
no longer fit to live in. Hundreds of thousands of people from across this
region will need to find longer-term housing.

  þ Meeting the Needs of Schools and Students. In recognition of the
    communities across the nation that have welcomed displaced students in
    need, the President is proposing to provide funding to school districts
    enrolling significant numbers of displaced children. This funding would
    be used to reimburse school districts for the unexpected costs
    associated with educating additional children for the 2005-06 school
    year, such as teacher salaries, transportation, materials and
    equipment, special services for children with disabilities,
    supplemental educational services, and counseling. To ensure that
    displaced families have maximum flexibility to meet the education needs
    of their children, the President's proposal would provide compensation
    to displaced families for enrollment in private, including parochial,
    schools.

  þ The President Will Work With Congress To Ensure Continuity Of Health
    Care. A number of states have taken in large numbers of evacuees and
    provided them with health care. The Federal government will issue
    waivers to reimburse these states for their extra Medicaid and
    uncompensated care expenses incurred through January 31, 2006.

  þ Housing Will Be Provided In The Short Term For First Responders And
    Workers. Mobile homes, trailers, and more ships will be brought into
    New Orleans to provide housing for the first responders and the service
    workers who are rebuilding this city.

  þ The Federal Government Will Work With Local Leaders To Rebuild A
    Stronger Gulf Coast. The Federal government will be fully engaged in
    the rebuilding, but Governor Barbour, Governor Blanco, Mayor Nagin, and
    other state and local leaders will have the primary role in planning
    for their own future. As they plan, communities will need to move
    decisively to change zoning laws and building codes, to avoid a repeat
    of what we have seen. New Orleans has a particular challenge because
    much of the city lies below sea level. City and parish officials will
    have a large part to play in making the flood protection system
    stronger, and the Army Corps of Engineers will be at their side to make
    it happen.

  þ Taxpayer Dollars Must Be Spent Responsibly. Federal funds will cover
    the great majority of the costs of repairing public infrastructure in
    the disaster zone, from roads and bridges to schools and water systems.
    Our goal is to get the work done quickly. And taxpayers expect this
    work to be done honestly and wisely - so we will have a team of
    inspectors general from affected agencies reviewing all expenditures.
    Inspectors general will monitor grant and contracting actions as they
    occur and will deploy side-by-side with contractors to ensure they are
    delivering what they promised.

Communities Will Be Rebuilt Even Better And Stronger Than Before. The Gulf
Coast has some of the most beautiful and historic places in our country, as
well as some deep and persistent poverty, rooted in racial discrimination
and opportunity denied. Now is the time to rise above this legacy of
inequality. As the Gulf Coast rebuilds, evacuees should come home to the
place they love with a chance at a better life.

  þ The President Proposed A Gulf Opportunity Zone To Spur Economic Growth.
    The President proposed to create a Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO Zone) to
    help local economies in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama devastated
    by Hurricane Katrina. Businesses in the GO Zone would be eligible for
    the benefits through 2007.

      þ The GO Zone Will Provide Tax Relief And Loans For Businesses And
        Entrepreneurs To Invest In The Region And Create Jobs. The GO Zone
        will double small business expensing from $100,000 to $200,000 for
        investments in new equipment, provide a 50 percent bonus
        depreciation for all businesses, and extend tax relief to the
        building of new structures. The GO Zone will also make available
        loans and loan guarantees for small businesses, including
        minority-owned enterprises, to get them up and running again. It is
        this entrepreneurship that will create jobs and opportunity and
        help break the cycle of poverty.

  þ The President Proposed Worker Recovery Accounts To Help Those Who Need
    Extra Help Finding A Job. These new Worker Recovery Accounts will
    provide targeted assistance for those victims of Hurricane Katrina who
    need extra help finding work. While victims who have lost their jobs
    are already eligible to receive state unemployment benefits or Disaster
    Unemployment Assistance for up to 26 weeks, some need more help in
    their job search. Worker Recovery Accounts will reward work, eliminate
    red tape, and promote individual choice to help people find work
    quickly. We also must ensure that as many of the rebuilding jobs as
    possible go to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

      þ Workers Will Receive Flexible Assistance To Aid In Their Job Search
        Or To Pay For Retraining. These Accounts, which states will have
        flexibility to design, will provide up to $5,000 to certain job
        seekers to allow them to purchase the training or supportive
        services, such as child care or transportation, they need to get
        back to work. In addition to whatever services they select, workers
        will still be able to receive basic employment services from states
        and One Stop Career Centers. If workers find a job within 13 weeks
        after starting Unemployment Insurance benefits or Disaster
        Unemployment Assistance, they may keep the money remaining in their
        account as an employment bonus.

  þ The President Proposed An Urban Homesteading Initiative To Provide A
    New Beginning For Lower-Income Evacuees. Homesteading will allow
    evacuees to occupy a government-owned home at a favorable mortgage
    rate, in exchange for their personal investment of sweat equity in the
    property. Under this approach, we will identify property in the region
    owned by the Federal government, and provide building sites to
    low-income citizens free of charge, through a lottery. In return, they
    would pledge to build on the lot, with either a mortgage or help from a
    charitable organization like Habitat for Humanity. The Department of
    Housing and Urban Development, in cooperation with other Federal
    agencies, local governments, and public housing authorities, will
    support the development of homes on Federal property in New Orleans and
    cities across the region, and will encourage nonprofit organizations to
    commit properties as well. Homeownership is one of the great strengths
    of any community, and it must be a central part of our vision for the
    revival of this region.

The President Has Called On All Americans To Help Those In Need As A Result
Of Katrina. At this stage in the recovery, the most effective way people
can help those displaced by the hurricane is by making a financial
contribution to humanitarian organizations and state relief funds. The
President has encouraged Americans to donate to the Salvation Army, the Red
Cross, other good charities, and religious congregations in the region.
Former Presidents Bush and Clinton have led a private fundraising effort
that has already received pledges of more than $100 million to aid the Gulf
Coast's recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Donations can be made online at
www.BushClintonKatrinaFund.org.

  þ The President Has Asked USA Freedom Corps To Create An Information
    Clearing House For Relief Efforts. Important work can be done by all,
    and we all must do our part. This clearinghouse will allow a family
    anywhere to find opportunities to help families in the Gulf Coast
    region, or a school to connect with a school. The President encouraged
    existing organizations like Scout troops and labor unions to contact
    their counterparts in the Gulf to learn what they can do to help.
    Information is available at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.

The President Has Ordered The Department Of Homeland Security To Conduct An
Immediate Review Of Preparedness In Every Major American City. Our cities
must have clear and up-to-date plans for responding to natural disasters,
disease outbreaks, or terrorist attack. We must have plans to evacuate
large numbers of people in an emergency and to provide food, water, and
security as needed. In a time of terror threats and weapons of mass
destruction, the danger is greater than a fault line or flood plain.
Emergency planning is a national security priority.

  þ The Government Will Learn The Lessons Of Hurricane Katrina. The
    response of government at all levels was not equal to the magnitude of
    Katrina's destruction. Many first responders performed skillfully under
    the worst conditions, but the coordination at all levels was
    inadequate. Four years after September 11th, Americans expect better.
    President Bush takes responsibility for the Federal government's
    problems, and for its solutions. It is now clear that a challenge on
    this scale requires greater Federal authority and a broader role for
    the U.S. Armed Forces - the institution of our government most capable
    of massive logistical operations on a moment's notice. The President
    has ordered every Cabinet secretary to conduct a review of the
    response, and the President will make every necessary change to fully
    prepare for any challenge of nature or act of evil that could threaten
    Americans.

  þ The United States Congress Also Has An Important Oversight Function To
    Perform. Congress is preparing an investigation, and the President will
    work with members of both parties to make sure this effort is thorough.

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