Text 1431, 343 rader
Skriven 2005-09-15 23:32:58 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0509158) for Thu, 2005 Sep 15
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President Discusses Hurricane Relief in Address to the Nation
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 15, 2005

President Discusses Hurricane Relief in Address to the Nation
Jackson Square
New Orleans, Louisiana


˙˙˙˙˙In Focus: Hurricane Relief
˙˙˙˙˙Fact Sheet: President Bush Addresses the Nation on Recovery From
Katrina

8:02 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. I'm speaking to you from the city of New
Orleans -- nearly empty, still partly under water, and waiting for life and
hope to return. Eastward from Lake Pontchartrain, across the Mississippi
coast, to Alabama into Florida, millions of lives were changed in a day by
a cruel and wasteful storm.

In the aftermath, we have seen fellow citizens left stunned and uprooted,
searching for loved ones, and grieving for the dead, and looking for
meaning in a tragedy that seems so blind and random. We've also witnessed
the kind of desperation no citizen of this great and generous nation should
ever have to know -- fellow Americans calling out for food and water,
vulnerable people left at the mercy of criminals who had no mercy, and the
bodies of the dead lying uncovered and untended in the street.

These days of sorrow and outrage have also been marked by acts of courage
and kindness that make all Americans proud. Coast Guard and other personnel
rescued tens of thousands of people from flooded neighborhoods. Religious
congregations and families have welcomed strangers as brothers and sisters
and neighbors. In the community of Chalmette, when two men tried to break
into a home, the owner invited them to stay -- and took in 15 other people
who had no place to go. At Tulane Hospital for Children, doctors and nurses
did not eat for days so patients could have food, and eventually carried
the patients on their backs up eight flights of stairs to helicopters.

Many first responders were victims themselves, wounded healers, with a
sense of duty greater than their own suffering. When I met Steve Scott of
the Biloxi Fire Department, he and his colleagues were conducting a
house-to-house search for survivors. Steve told me this: "I lost my house
and I lost my cars, but I still got my family ... and I still got my
spirit."

Across the Gulf Coast, among people who have lost much, and suffered much,
and given to the limit of their power, we are seeing that same spirit -- a
core of strength that survives all hurt, a faith in God no storm can take
away, and a powerful American determination to clear the ruins and build
better than before.

Tonight so many victims of the hurricane and the flood are far from home
and friends and familiar things. You need to know that our whole nation
cares about you, and in the journey ahead you're not alone. To all who
carry a burden of loss, I extend the deepest sympathy of our country. To
every person who has served and sacrificed in this emergency, I offer the
gratitude of our country. And tonight I also offer this pledge of the
American people: Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we will do what
it takes, we will stay as long as it takes, to help citizens rebuild their
communities and their lives. And all who question the future of the
Crescent City need to know there is no way to imagine America without New
Orleans, and this great city will rise again.

The work of rescue is largely finished; the work of recovery is moving
forward. In nearly all of Mississippi, electric power has been restored.
Trade is starting to return to the Port of New Orleans, and agricultural
shipments are moving down the Mississippi River. All major gasoline
pipelines are now in operation, preventing the supply disruptions that many
feared. The breaks in the levees have been closed, the pumps are running,
and the water here in New Orleans is receding by the hour. Environmental
officials are on the ground, taking water samples, identifying and dealing
with hazardous debris, and working to get drinking water and waste water
treatment systems operating again. And some very sad duties are being
carried out by professionals who gather the dead, treat them with respect,
and prepare them for their rest.

In the task of recovery and rebuilding, some of the hardest work is still
ahead, and it will require the creative skill and generosity of a united
country.

Our first commitment is to meet the immediate needs of those who had to
flee their homes and leave all their possessions behind. For these
Americans, every night brings uncertainty, every day requires new courage,
and in the months to come will bring more than their fair share of
struggles.

The Department of Homeland Security is registering evacuees who are now in
shelters and churches, or private homes, whether in the Gulf region or far
away. I have signed an order providing immediate assistance to people from
the disaster area. As of today, more than 500,000 evacuee families have
gotten emergency help to pay for food, clothing, and other essentials.
Evacuees who have not yet registered should contact FEMA or the Red Cross.
We need to know who you are, because many of you will be eligible for
broader assistance in the future. Many families were separated during the
evacuation, and we are working to help you reunite. Please call this
number: 1-877-568-3317 -- that's 1-877-568-3317 -- and we will work to
bring your family back together, and pay for your travel to reach them.

In addition, we're taking steps to ensure that evacuees do not have to
travel great distances or navigate bureaucracies to get the benefits that
are there for them. The Department of Health and Human Services has sent
more than 1,500 health professionals, along with over 50 tons of medical
supplies -- including vaccines and antibiotics and medicines for people
with 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.

To carry out the first stages of the relief effort and begin rebuilding at
once, I have asked for, and the Congress has provided, more than $60
billion. This is an unprecedented response to an unprecedented crisis,
which demonstrates the compassion and resolve of our nation.

Our second commitment is to help the citizens of the Gulf Coast to overcome
this disaster, put their lives back together, and rebuild their
communities. Along this coast, for mile after mile, the wind and water
swept the land clean. In Mississippi, many thousands of houses were damaged
or destroyed. In New Orleans and surrounding parishes, more than a
quarter-million houses are no longer safe to live in. Hundreds of thousands
of people from across this region will need to find longer-term housing.

Our goal is to get people out of the shelters by the middle of October. So
we're providing direct assistance to evacuees that allows them to rent
apartments, and many already are moving into places of their own. A number
of states have taken in evacuees and shown them great compassion --
admitting children to school, and providing health care. So I will work
with the Congress to ensure that states are reimbursed for these extra
expenses.

In the disaster area, and in cities that have received huge numbers of
displaced people, we're beginning to bring in mobile homes and trailers for
temporary use. To relieve the burden on local health care facilities in the
region, we're sending extra doctors and nurses to these areas. We're also
providing money that can be used to cover overtime pay for police and fire
departments while the cities and towns rebuild.

Near New Orleans, and Biloxi, and other cities, housing is urgently needed
for police and firefighters, other service providers, and the many workers
who are going to rebuild these cities. Right now, many are sleeping on
ships we have brought to the Port of New Orleans -- and more ships are on
their way to the region. And we'll provide mobile homes, and supply them
with basic services, as close to construction areas as possible, so the
rebuilding process can go forward as quickly as possible.

And the federal government will undertake a close partnership with the
states of Louisiana and Mississippi, the city of New Orleans, and other
Gulf Coast cities, so they can rebuild in a sensible, well-planned way.
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'll have
a team of inspectors general reviewing all expenditures.

In the rebuilding process, there will be many important decisions and many
details to resolve, yet we're moving forward according to some clear
principles. The federal government will be fully engaged in the mission,
but Governor Barbour, Governor Blanco, Mayor Nagin, and other state and
local leaders will have the primary role in planning for their own future.
Clearly, communities will need to move decisively to change zoning laws and
building codes, in order to avoid a repeat of what we've seen. And in the
work of rebuilding, as many jobs as possible should go to the men and women
who live in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Our third commitment is this: When communities are rebuilt, they must be
even better and stronger than before the storm. Within the Gulf region are
some of the most beautiful and historic places in America. As all of us saw
on television, there's also some deep, persistent poverty in this region,
as well. That poverty has roots in a history of racial discrimination,
which cut off generations from the opportunity of America. We have a duty
to confront this poverty with bold action. So let us restore all that we
have cherished from yesterday, and let us rise above the legacy of
inequality. When the streets are rebuilt, there should be many new
businesses, including minority-owned businesses, along those streets. When
the houses are rebuilt, more families should own, not rent, those houses.
When the regional economy revives, local people should be prepared for the
jobs being created.

Americans want the Gulf Coast not just to survive, but to thrive; not just
to cope, but to overcome. We want evacuees to come home, for the best of
reasons -- because they have a real chance at a better life in a place they
love.

When one resident of this city who lost his home was asked by a reporter if
he would relocate, he said, "Naw, I will rebuild -- but I will build
higher." That is our vision for the future, in this city and beyond: We'll
not just rebuild, we'll build higher and better. To meet this goal, I will
listen to good ideas from Congress, and state and local officials, and the
private sector. I believe we should start with three initiatives that the
Congress should pass.

Tonight I propose the creation of a Gulf Opportunity Zone, encompassing the
region of the disaster in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama. Within
this zone, we should provide immediate incentives for job-creating
investment, tax relief for small businesses, incentives to companies that
create jobs, and loans and loan guarantees for small businesses, including
minority-owned enterprises, to get them up and running again. It is
entrepreneurship that creates jobs and opportunity; it is entrepreneurship
that helps break the cycle of poverty; and we will take the side of
entrepreneurs as they lead the economic revival of the Gulf region.

I propose the creation of Worker Recovery Accounts to help those evacuees
who need extra help finding work. Under this plan, the federal government
would provide accounts of up to $5,000, which these evacuees could draw
upon for job training and education to help them get a good job, and for
child care expenses during their job search.

And to help lower-income citizens in the hurricane region build new and
better lives, I also propose that Congress pass an Urban Homesteading Act.
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. Home ownership 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.

In the long run, the New Orleans area has a particular challenge, because
much of the city lies below sea level. The people who call it home need to
have reassurance that their lives will be safer in the years to come.
Protecting a city that sits lower than the water around it is not easy, but
it can, and has been done. City and parish officials in New Orleans, and
state officials in Louisiana will have a large part in the engineering
decisions to come. And the Army Corps of Engineers will work at their side
to make the flood protection system stronger than it has ever been.

The work that has begun in the Gulf Coast region will be one of the largest
reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen. When that job is done, all
Americans will have something to be very proud of -- and all Americans are
needed in this common effort. It is the armies of compassion -- charities
and houses of worship, and idealistic men and women -- that give our
reconstruction effort its humanity. They offer to those who hurt a friendly
face, an arm around the shoulder, and the reassurance that in hard times,
they can count on someone who cares. By land, by sea, and by air, good
people wanting to make a difference deployed to the Gulf Coast, and they've
been working around the clock ever since.

The cash needed to support the armies of compassion is great, and Americans
have given generously. For example, the private fundraising effort led by
former Presidents Bush and Clinton has already received pledges of more
than $100 million. Some of that money is going to the Governors to be used
for immediate needs within their states. A portion will also be sent to
local houses of worship to help reimburse them for the expense of helping
others. This evening the need is still urgent, and I ask the American
people to continue donating to the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, other
good charities, and religious congregations in the region.

It's also essential for the many organizations of our country to reach out
to your fellow citizens in the Gulf area. So I've asked USA Freedom Corps
to create an information clearinghouse, available at usafreedomcorps.gov,
so that families anywhere in the country can find opportunities to help
families in the region, or a school can support a school. And I challenge
existing organizations -- churches, and Scout troops, or labor union locals
to get in touch with their counterparts in Mississippi, Louisiana, or
Alabama, and learn what they can do to help. In this great national
enterprise, important work can be done by everyone, and everyone should
find their role and do their part.

The government of this nation will do its part, as well. Our cities must
have clear and up-to-date plans for responding to natural disasters, and
disease outbreaks, or a terrorist attack, for evacuating large numbers of
people in an emergency, and for providing the food and water and security
they would need. In a time of terror threats and weapons of mass
destruction, the danger to our citizens reaches much wider than a fault
line or a flood plain. I consider detailed emergency planning to be a
national security priority, and therefore, I've ordered the Department of
Homeland Security to undertake an immediate review, in cooperation with
local counterparts, of emergency plans in every major city in America.

I also want to know all the facts about the government response to
Hurricane Katrina. The storm involved a massive flood, a major supply and
security operation, and an evacuation order affecting more than a million
people. It was not a normal hurricane -- and the normal disaster relief
system was not equal to it. Many of the men and women of the Coast Guard,
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States military, the
National Guard, Homeland Security, and state and local governments
performed skillfully under the worst conditions. Yet the system, at every
level of government, was not well-coordinated, and was overwhelmed in the
first few days. It is now clear that a challenge on this scale requires
greater federal authority and a broader role for the armed forces -- the
institution of our government most capable of massive logistical operations
on a moment's notice.

Four years after the frightening experience of September the 11th,
Americans have every right to expect a more effective response in a time of
emergency. When the federal government fails to meet such an obligation, I,
as President, am responsible for the problem, and for the solution. So I've
ordered every Cabinet Secretary to participate in a comprehensive review of
the government response to the hurricane. This government will learn the
lessons of Hurricane Katrina. We're going to review every action and make
necessary changes, so that we are better prepared for any challenge of
nature, or act of evil men, that could threaten our people.

The United States Congress also has an important oversight function to
perform. Congress is preparing an investigation, and I will work with
members of both parties to make sure this effort is thorough.

In the life of this nation, we have often been reminded that nature is an
awesome force, and that all life is fragile. We're the heirs of men and
women who lived through those first terrible winters at Jamestown and
Plymouth, who rebuilt Chicago after a great fire, and San Francisco after a
great earthquake, who reclaimed the prairie from the Dust Bowl of the
1930s. Every time, the people of this land have come back from fire, flood,
and storm to build anew -- and to build better than what we had before.
Americans have never left our destiny to the whims of nature -- and we will
not start now.

These trials have also reminded us that we are often stronger than we know
-- with the help of grace and one another. They remind us of a hope beyond
all pain and death, a God who welcomes the lost to a house not made with
hands. And they remind us that we're tied together in this life, in this
nation -- and that the despair of any touches us all.

I know that when you sit on the steps of a porch where a home once stood,
or sleep on a cot in a crowded shelter, it is hard to imagine a bright
future. But that future will come. The streets of Biloxi and Gulfport will
again be filled with lovely homes and the sound of children playing. The
churches of Alabama will have their broken steeples mended and their
congregations whole. And here in New Orleans, the street cars will once
again rumble down St. Charles, and the passionate soul of a great city will
return.

In this place, there's a custom for the funerals of jazz musicians. The
funeral procession parades slowly through the streets, followed by a band
playing a mournful dirge as it moves to the cemetery. Once the casket has
been laid in place, the band breaks into a joyful "second line" --
symbolizing the triumph of the spirit over death. Tonight the Gulf Coast is
still coming through the dirge -- yet we will live to see the second line.

Thank you, and may God bless America.

END 8:28 P.M. CDT

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