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.