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Skriven 2006-08-29 23:31:12 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (060829) for Tue, 2006 Aug 29
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Fact Sheet: Keeping the Promise of Jackson Square: A More Hopeful Louisiana
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For Immediate Release
August 29, 2006

Fact Sheet: Keeping the Promise of Jackson Square: A More Hopeful Louisiana


ÿÿÿÿÿ In Focus: Hurricane Katrina

Today In New Orleans, President Bush Discussed The Lessons Our Nation Has
Learned Since Katrina, The Work That Has Been Done, And The Many Challenges
That Still Lie Ahead. One year ago today, Southeast Louisiana was struck by
a cruel hurricane and flooding on a massive scale. Less than three weeks
later, with many homes, churches, and schools still under water, the
President pledged that the Federal government would do its part to rebuild
New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana. The President has returned to New
Orleans to reiterate his commitment and to report what the Federal
government is doing to make good on its promises. However, the one-year
anniversary is not the finish line, and many challenges still remain.

President Bush Takes Full Responsibility For The Federal Government's
Response, And A Year Ago, He Pledged The Federal Government Will Learn The
Lessons Of Katrina And Do What It Takes To Help The Gulf Coast Recover. The
Federal government has committed more than $110 billion to help the Gulf
Coast, and most of this money has already been sent to the region. The
President also put Don Powell in charge of coordinating Federal support for
local rebuilding.

Last Year, Southern Louisiana Was Flooded, And New Orleans Faced The Most
Destructive Natural Disaster In U.S. History

Eighty Percent Of New Orleans Was Under Water. Thousands of businesses were
hurt, tens of thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, lives were
lost, and hundreds of thousands of citizens were forced to flee. Some
citizens still do not know whether they will have a neighborhood to come
back to, others have spent the past year living in trailers, and many now
find themselves without jobs, struggling to make do without normal
conveniences, and fearing for their safety because of violent criminals.

In Countless Acts Of Courage, We Saw The Best Of America In The Response To
Hurricane Katrina. The Coast Guard and National Guard stepped up to bring
relief, and we saw acts of selflessness in every parish.

When Nature Strikes Again, The Federal Government Will Be Prepared

We Have Changed The Way The Federal Government Responds To Disasters. At
the President's direction, every department of the Administration looked at
its response to last year's hurricanes and recommended practical reforms.
Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff has increased FEMA's manpower and
training, strengthened partnerships with the Red Cross and the Department
of Defense, improved communications among State, local, and Federal
emergency teams, and expanded supplies so we can feed up to 1 million
people for about a week. FEMA is now under the leadership of Undersecretary
R. David Paulison, who has more than 30 years of emergency management
experience.

To Keep The Promise Of Jackson Square, We Are Building A New Orleans That
Is Stronger And More Hopeful

A More Hopeful New Orleans Starts With Stronger Levees - And The Army Corps
Of Engineers Is Repairing The Damage And Strengthening The 350-Mile System.
The Administration has secured nearly $6 billion for the Army Corps of
Engineers to repair and enhance the levees, make the entire hurricane
protection system better and stronger by 2010, and begin to restore the
wetlands surrounding the Greater New Orleans area. We are replacing I-walls
with T-walls that have stronger foundations, storm-proofing pumping
stations and increasing their capacity, and elevating electrical systems.
  þ Today, Almost The Entire Flood Protection System Around New Orleans Has
    Been Restored To Its Pre-Katrina Level - And In Many Places, The System
    Is Now Better Than Before Katrina.

A More Hopeful New Orleans Means Clearing The Debris Left By The Hurricanes
- And After More Than $1.8 Billion From The Federal Government, Almost
Three-Quarters Of It Has Been Cleared. To help clear remaining debris, the
Federal government will continue to pay full reimbursement costs through
the end of the year for the five hardest-hit parishes.

A More Hopeful New Orleans Means Helping People Restore Damaged Homes Or
Move Into New Ones - And The Administration Is Doing Its Part To Help. Just
19 days after the Louisiana Recovery Authority presented its Road Home plan
in May, the Administration approved it, and the Administration has
committed more than $10 billion in Federal money to make it work. Under
this program, eligible homeowners will receive up to $150,000 for damage
not covered by insurance or other Federal assistance. The President calls
on State authorities to quickly get these dollars into citizens' hands.

A More Hopeful New Orleans Means Improving Its Public School System - And
Since Katrina, The Federal Government Has Provided More Than $1 Billion To
Louisiana To Rebuild Schools, Get Children Back To Class, And Reform The
Education System. The President believes in local and State control of
schools. Louisiana officials recognize the New Orleans school system needs
to change, and the Federal government is helping them implement a new
approach.
  þ A New Approach Is Exemplified By Charter Schools Like Warren Easton
    Senior High School, Which The President Is Visiting Today. In a charter
    school, funding follows the students, meaning the schools are
    accountable to parents, and parents have more choices about where to
    send their children.
  þ To Help Meet The Challenge Of Reopening School Libraries Destroyed By
    The Flooding, The Laura Bush Foundation For America's Libraries
    Established The Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative. Working
    with the private sector, the foundation has awarded more than $1
    million in grants to 20 schools, including $70,000 for Warren Easton's
    library.

A More Hopeful New Orleans Means More Shops And Businesses - And The
President Has Signed Legislation Creating Gulf Opportunity (GO) Zones In
The Areas Hit Hardest By The Storms. GO Zones give entrepreneurs and small
business owners special tax incentives to invest, create jobs, and help
jumpstart the local economy.
  þ Since Katrina, The Federal Government Has Provided More Than $1.4
    Billion In Small Business Loans To Louisiana Entrepreneurs.

The Work Of Recovery Has Only Begun

To Keep The Promise Of Jackson Square, We Will Not Forget The People Of The
New Orleans Region. The work ahead includes making the streets of New
Orleans safer, building new roads and better infrastructure to support new
homes, and delivering reliable sources of gas, power, and clean water.
  þ The Federal Government Is Helping To Make The Streets Of New Orleans
    Safer. Last week, Attorney General Gonzales announced a new Justice
    Department initiative to help local law enforcement crack down on
    violent crime.
  þ The Federal Government Is Fulfilling Its Commitment To Repair Damaged
    Public Infrastructure In Southeast Louisiana. FEMA has funded $5.6
    billion to repair and replace damaged public infrastructure in the Gulf
    Coast such as roads and bridges, schools, water systems, public
    buildings and public utilities, as well as to fund emergency protective
    measures and debris removal. In addition, the U.S. Department of
    Transportation is spending $2 billion to repair and rebuild highways
    and bridges in Louisiana and Mississippi.
  þ State And Parish Authorities Have A Responsibility To Set Priorities,
    Clear The Obstacles That Stand In The Way, And Start The Money Flowing.
    Neighborhood planning commissions that have been established are a good
    start, and the President asks State and parish authorities to build on
    this by acting decisively and providing a blueprint for the future,
    giving citizens the confidence to rebuild their homes and lives.
  þ President Bush Asks America's Business Leaders To Show The Same
    Commitment They Exhibited During The Disaster In Getting Supplies And
    Relief To Affected Areas.
  þ The People Of New Orleans Also Have A Responsibility. They love New
    Orleans, and now New Orleans needs them. Every time it has faced a
    setback, New Orleans has come back stronger, and this same resolve to
    recover can be seen today in the people of the city.

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