Text 1914, 269 rader
Skriven 2005-12-21 23:32:58 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (051221a) for Wed, 2005 Dec 21
====================================================
===========================================================================
Fact Sheet: A Commitment to Continued Recovery and Rebuilding in the Gulf
Coast
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 21, 2005

Fact Sheet: A Commitment to Continued Recovery and Rebuilding in the Gulf
Coast


ÿÿÿÿÿIn Focus: Hurricane Relief


Today's Presidential Action:

Today, President Bush Signed The Gulf Opportunity Zone Act Of 2005 And
Discussed Efforts To Further Encourage Business Development And Job
Creation In The Gulf Coast Region. To spur investment and economic
development, the President signed legislation creating a Gulf Opportunity
Zone, with tax relief to be provided to businesses and entrepreneurs in
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. This bipartisan legislation is an
important step to help residents of the Gulf Coast rebuild their lives in
the wake of Hurricane Katrina - and another step forward to fulfill the
Nation's commitment to recovery and rebuilding in the region.
  þ The Gulf Opportunity Zone Act Of 2005 Will Boost The Small Business
    Sector And Revive The Spirit Of Entrepreneurship In Louisiana,
    Mississippi, And Alabama. Provisions of the GO-Zones Law will:
      þ Double small business expensing from $100,000 to $200,000 dollars
        for investments in new equipment;
      þ Provide a 50-percent bonus depreciation for businesses that invest
        in new equipment and new structures;
      þ Allow additional issuance of tax-exempt private activity bonds;
      þ Expand the amount of available low-income housing tax credits; and
      þ Double Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning Credits for students
        attending colleges and graduate schools in the Gulf Opportunity
        Zone.

The President Urged The Development Of A Skilled Trades Workforce To
Rebuild The Gulf Coast. The President today convened a meeting with
community college leaders, union representatives, business owners, State
and local officials, and other civic leaders at the White House to
encourage the training and employment of Gulf Coast residents who lost
their jobs in the wake of the hurricanes. By coming together to help
workers acquire the skills they need, we can improve the lives of citizens
in the region, provide an incentive for evacuees to return home, and speed
the economic recovery of the region.

The President Urged The Senate To Complete Action On Pending Legislation To
Provide Gulf Coast Residents With Further Resources To Rebuild Their Lives
And Safeguard Their Communities From Future Disasters. The Deficit
Reduction bill will provide $2 billion to help states pay for critical
medical care for low- and middle-income evacuees. The Defense
Appropriations bill would provide important Federal funding to rebuild the
levees in New Orleans; to educate the children of evacuees and those who
have returned home to damaged schools; and to restore roads, bridges, and
Federal facilities in the region. Both pieces of legislation are important
for the long-term future of the Gulf Coast and the people who call it home,
and Congress should complete action on them as quickly as possible.

A Commitment To Continued Recovery

Providing Assistance, Housing, And Help For Gulf Coast Residents And The
Reconstruction And Recovery Of The Region Are Top Priorities For The
Administration. The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), working in partnership with State and local
officials, continues to facilitate the Federal government's role in all
aspects of recovery in the region. President Bush is committed to helping
the citizens of the Gulf Coast rebuild their lives and livelihoods - and
progress is being made.
  þ Restoring Levees: Federal Support Coordinator Donald Powell last week
    announced new actions proposed by the Administration to protect New
    Orleans from the large-scale, catastrophic impacts of another storm of
    the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina. In order for the Crescent City to
    rebuild, and for citizens and businesses to feel confident in their
    return, the city needs a modern-day, reliable flood and storm
    protection system.
      þ President Bush and his Administration are working to rebuild New
        Orleans' existing levee system and have proposed additional safety
        and security measures to make the levees better and stronger than
        ever before. Additional levee protections - including armoring,
        concrete reinforcement, and replacing interior canals with pump
        stations - will address the main causes of the catastrophic
        flooding during Hurricane Katrina. Funding to rebuild the levees in
        New Orleans is included in the pending Defense Appropriations bill.
  þ Direct Assistance: In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, FEMA has
    provided more than $5.9 billion directly to 1.4 million households for
    financial and housing assistance through the Individuals and Households
    Assistance Program (IHP). This amount is the most ever provided by FEMA
    to victims of any single natural disaster ($4.2 billion for Katrina
    alone) and is more than double the combined total of IHP dollars for
    the Northridge Earthquake in 1994 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
      þ The (800) 621-FEMA teleregistration and help line has been
        operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week since Hurricane Katrina
        struck, a service never before provided for this length of time.
      þ As of December 20, there were 119 Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs)
        open in the Gulf Coast. DRCs are one-stop resource centers that
        provide information about different types of state and Federal
        disaster assistance, including loans from the U.S. Small Business
        Administration (SBA) for homeowners, renters, and business owners.
  þ Housing: FEMA has provided rental assistance to more than 650,000
    households to date and remains committed to providing families with the
    tools they need to become self-sufficient again.
      þ FEMA continues to reach out to the less than six percent of
        evacuees who have not yet found longer-term housing. For these
        evacuees, who are residing in approximately 38,000 hotel rooms in
        47 states and the District of Columbia, FEMA will continue payment
        for hotel rooms through January 7, 2006, or longer.
      þ The agency has set up a referral assistance center and dedicated
        over 1,300 FEMA employees to reach out - using fliers, making phone
        calls, and knocking on doors of hotel rooms - to find out what
        evacuees' needs are and whether they're eligible for FEMA
        assistance.
      þ HUD has provided nearly 13,000 families who were not eligible for
        FEMA rental assistance with rental vouchers administered by the
        public housing authorities in the cities where the families are
        living.
      þ Under HUD's "Mortgage Assistance Initiative," the Department will
        make mortgage payments for up to a year for disaster victims with
        FHA-insured mortgages who want to start living in their homes
        again. This unprecedented mortgage relief enables FHA borrowers in
        the impacted areas to retain homeownership as they concentrate on
        repairing their homes and finding jobs.
      þ More than 148,000 damaged roofs have been temporarily covered by
        FEMA's "Blue Roof" program, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of
        Engineers, so that families can remain in their homes as they
        rebuild.
      þ More than 48,000 travel trailers and manufactured housing units are
        temporary homes for Hurricane Katrina victims, nearly triple the
        number of units used following all of last year's Florida
        hurricanes and far outnumbering any housing mission in FEMA's
        history.
  þ Education: The Department of Education is working with states and
    schools in the region and elsewhere to ensure a minimum of disruption
    for the hundreds of thousands of students affected by Hurricane
    Katrina.
      þ The pending Defense Appropriations bill would provide $1.6 billion
        in education relief for school districts and private schools
        educating displaced students; reopening damaged school systems in
        Louisiana and Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama; and providing aid to
        colleges and universities in Louisiana and Mississippi.
      þ The Department has held roundtable meetings with education and
        mental health experts to help children and families recover.
      þ Hurricane Help for Schools, the online clearinghouse that enables
        Americans to match their donations to meet schools' most pressing
        needs, has made 540 matches to date. Supplies donated through the
        site have reached 146 schools in Louisiana, 47 schools in
        Mississippi, and 20 schools in Alabama.
  þ Economic Recovery: The Administration is taking action to encourage
    business development and job creation in the region.
      þ To date, FEMA has approved more than $400 million in Community
        Disaster Loans to municipalities in Louisiana and Mississippi, the
        first phase of a loan program that will help keep essential
        services online in the hardest-hit communities. This includes a
        $120 million loan to the City of New Orleans.
      þ FEMA has obligated more than $211 million in disaster unemployment
        assistance for eligible hurricane victims.
      þ To date, the SBA has approved over $1.6 billion in disaster loans
        to over 23,500 homeowners, renters, and businesses in the affected
        region. SBA has also announced the Gulf Opportunity Pilot Loan (GO
        Loan) Program, which is providing faster turnaround on loans for
        small businesses in the Gulf Coast.
      þ The Department of Labor has approved more than $300 million in
        special training and employment resources to Gulf Coast states
        impacted by the hurricanes. These resources include $206 million
        for National Emergency Grants to assist dislocated workers, $63
        million in community-based job training grants awarded to 35
        community colleges in eight states, and $12 million in high-growth
        job training grants to support training in such critical industries
        as construction, energy, and health care.
  þ Debris Removal: Nearly 56 million cubic yards of debris have been
    removed in Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. If the debris
    from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was measured in 1 yard cubes and
    stacked in a column, it would wrap around the Earth more than once.
      þ FEMA reimbursed the states at 100 percent for this expense for a
        month or longer in Alabama and Texas.
      þ For Mississippi, FEMA will continue to reimburse debris removal at
        100 percent through March 15, 2006.
      þ For Louisiana, FEMA will continue to reimburse debris removal at
        100 percent through June 30, 2006.
  þ Flood Insurance: More than $11.7 billion has been paid out to National
    Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders. In comparison, NFIP had
    paid out just $607 million in the 100 days following Hurricane Ivan,
    then the second-largest flood insurance event ever.

Providing The Resources Needed To Rebuild

The President Is Committed To Providing The Gulf Coast With The Resources
Needed For A Full Recovery. Since Hurricane Katrina struck, more than $70
billion has been made available for Gulf Coast hurricane recovery efforts
through the FEMA Disaster Relief Fund, low-interest loans to local
governments, flood insurance, and funding relief from cost-share
requirements. Additional funds would be made available by legislation
currently pending in the Senate, including the Administration's proposal to
reallocate already appropriated funds to continue recovery and rebuilding
in the region.
  þ The President Hopes To Sign An Additional Recovery Package Into Law.
    The Administration welcomes the recent bipartisan action in the
    Congress on the President's plan for recovery in the Gulf Coast,
    including the creation of the Gulf Opportunity Zone. The President
    urged Congress to finish work on recovery legislation based on his
    principles so that he can sign it into law -- and we can continue to
    move forward in rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

Focus On The Gulf Coast

The President Selected Donald Powell To Be The Coordinator Of Federal
Support For The Gulf Coast's Recovery And Rebuilding And Established The
Gulf Coast Recovery And Rebuilding Council. Former Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Chairman Donald Powell is the Administration's
primary point of contact with State and local governments, the private
sector, and community leaders on long-term recovery and rebuilding plans.
  þ Powell Is Coordinating Federal Involvement In Support Of State And
    Local Officials In The Next Phase Of Recovery On Issues Ranging From
    Economic Development To Infrastructure Rebuilding. He is responsible
    for developing specific goals and coordinating policies and programs
    for mid-term and long-term Federal recovery and rebuilding efforts. He
    reports to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff and makes
    recommendations to the President through Secretary Chertoff.
  þ The Gulf Coast Recovery And Rebuilding Council Is Working On Policies
    To Support The Rebuilding Of The Gulf Coast. The Council serves as a
    forum for the Coordinator and develops and reviews Administration
    policies in support of the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast.

The Administration Has A Strong Presence In The Region. Since Hurricane
Katrina struck, more than 60 Administration officials have made over 130
trips to communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama that have been
devastated by the storm, as well as states across the country that have
welcomed evacuees from the Gulf Coast. More than 16,000 Federal personnel
are currently deployed to help State and local officials with the recovery
efforts related to the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The President Has Called On All Americans To Help Those Affected By The
Hurricanes. The President asked USA Freedom Corps to serve as a nationwide
information clearinghouse, allowing individuals, businesses, schools,
faith-based organizations, and other groups to connect with volunteer
service opportunities in the Gulf Coast. To date, American companies and
individuals have together donated nearly $2.9 billion for relief, recovery,
and reconstruction efforts. 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.
Americans who want to contribute or volunteer in Gulf Coast can find more
information at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.

Learning The Lessons Of Hurricane Katrina

The Government Will Learn The Lessons Of Hurricane Katrina. On September
15, when the President addressed the Nation from Jackson Square, he pledged
that, "this government will learn the lessons of Katrina." He said we would
review every action and make necessary changes so that the government is
better prepared for any challenge of nature, or act of terror, that could
threaten the United States.
  þ The President tasked his Homeland Security Advisor to lead a
    comprehensive lessons learned review and ordered every Cabinet
    Secretary to participate.
The President wants lessons learned, not finger-pointing. The President has
made perfectly clear that he was not satisfied with the response to
Hurricane Katrina, and he wants to be sure that we strengthen our response
capability to make sure the government is both more efficient and more
effective.

# # #
===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051221-10.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)