Good evening. I am speaking to you from the city of New Orleans --
nearly empty, still partly underwater and waiting for life and hope to
return. Eastward from Lake Pontchartrain, across the Mississippi coast,
to Alabama and 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 have 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 are 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 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, 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 also 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 are taking steps to ensure that evacuees don't 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, 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 the 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 shelters by
the middle of October. So we are 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 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 are beginning to bring in mobile homes and
trailers for temporary use. To relieve the burden on local health care
facilities in the region, we are sending extra doctors and nurses to
these areas.
We are also providing money that can be used to
cover overtime pay for police and fire departments while cities and
towns rebuild.
Near New Orleans, Biloxi and other cities, housing
is urgently needed for police and firefighters, other service providers
and the many workers who are going to rebuild those 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 will
provide mobile homes and supply them with basic services as close to
the 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
will 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 are moving forward according to some clear
principles. The Federal government will be fully engaged in the
mission, but Gov. Barbour, Gov. 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 have seen. And in the work of rebuilding, as many jobs as
possible should go to 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 is
also some deep, persistent poverty in this region as well. And 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'll build
higher." That is our vision of the future, in this city and beyond: we
will not just rebuild, we will build higher and better.
To meet
this goal, I will listen to good ideas from Congress, 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.
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 have
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 fund-raising effort led by former
Presidents Bush and Clinton has already received pledges of more than
$100 million.
Some of that money is going to 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 is also essential for the many organizations of our
country to reach out to your fellow citizens in the Gulf area. So I
have asked USA Freedom Corps to create an information clearing house,
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, 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, disease outbreaks or terrorist attack
-- for evacuating large numbers of people in an emergency and for
providing the food, 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.
Therefore, I have 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 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 have 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 are 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 are 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 are 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
is 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.