    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book I)]
    [July 29, 1993]
    [Pages 1235-1236]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in the Flood Aid Telethon
    July 29, 1993

        The President. I have made three trips now to the Midwest during
    this flood. My Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of FEMA have
    been there many, many more times. We've seen so many people who have
    lost their homes, their farms, their businesses, but they are carrying
    on very, very bravely.
        Here in Washington, we're working hard to get a multibillion dollar
    emergency aid package through the Congress to help rebuild the
    communities, the businesses, the homes, to help to provide basic
    assistance. But the Federal Government can't do it all. Our country
    always has had a system in which the National Government would come to
    the need of States and communities and citizens when they needed help,
    but we've never been able to cover all the costs, and we won't be able
    to now. That's why we need your help.
        The Red Cross has done a magnificent job; so has the Salvation Army;
    so have the churches and the other community groups; so have thousands
    of people, young and old and all in-between, who have come to help. But
    we need your help. And I hope that you, too, will contribute whatever
    you can afford to help these wonderful Americans put their lives back
    together. They need your encouragement and your support. We'll do our
    part. We need you to help, too.
        Q. [Inaudible]
        The President. The aid should be there very soon. Of course, some of
    the emergency aid is there now. The Federal Emergency Management Agency
    and the Department of Agriculture have been giving cash and food stamps
    to people who are totally out of all resources and money. But the big
    aid will be there just as quickly as we can get it through the Congress.
    I think it will happen very soon. And we're all set up to move the
    checks out very quickly, I think within a couple of weeks after I can
    sign the

    [[Page 1236]]

    bill. And that should be just in the next day or so.
        In terms of the long run, we've already got a group established to
    look at that. I met with the Governors of the affected States here in
    the White House just a couple of days ago, and we're going to work hard
    in the long run, too. I don't want this to happen again to you or to
    anybody else.
        Q. [Inaudible]
        The President. There is an 800 number that gets several thousand
    calls a day just from Iowa, down in Texas. If you don't have it, I will
    arrange to have it called in while the telethon is going on. We've tried
    to set up a one-stop telephone so that all Americans who are affected by
    the flood could call. We're going to do our best, as I said, to take
    care of this and also to take care of the long-term problems. I can't
    control the weather, but we're going to work hard to help you.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:15 p.m. via satellite from the Library at
    the White House. A portion of these remarks could not be verified
    because the tape was incomplete.