    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book I)]
    [February 25, 1998]
    [Pages 283-284]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks After Touring Tornado Damage in Kissimmee, Florida
    February 25, 1998

        Ladies and gentlemen, first let me say a word of thanks to all of
    those who have given me this tour and who have been working so hard
    since Monday. I brought down here with me our FEMA Director, James Lee
    Witt, who's already been here; Attorney
    General Reno; Administrator of the EPA Carol Browner--both of them are from Florida, as I'm
    sure you know--and our Small Business Administrator, Aida Alvarez.
        I want to thank Senator Graham and
    Congresswoman Brown and Representative
    Mica for coming down with me today, and to say
    that Congressman Boyd and Congresswoman Thurman also wished to come and could not because of
    their work requirements, but they expressed their concern and support.
        I thank Governor Chiles and Lieutenant
    Governor MacKay, the leaders of the legislature
    who are here, Speaker Bronson, Minority Leader Senator Dyer, Senator Webster--I mean Senator Bronson, and--Representative Bronson and Speaker Webster.
        Mayor Atkinson, thank you for making us
    feel at home today and for introducing us to some of your citizens and
    some of your winter visitors. I thank the Osceola County commissioners
    with whom I've met, Chairman Dunnick and
    others; General Harrison and the Florida
    National Guard; all the people who have been working on this. I had a
    chance to meet a number of them. I want to thank them for what they have
    done.
        Some of you know that James Lee Witt,
    before he became the Director of the Federal Emergency Management
    Agency, was the director of our State emergency program in Arkansas when
    I was Governor. Our State has the highest number of tornadoes per capita
    every year. But no matter how many of these I have seen over the last 20
    years, I don't think anybody can fail to be moved and awestruck by the
    amount of damage that can be done, and the lives and the treasures that
    can be taken away in a matter of just a few seconds.
        And I think we all acknowledge here today that what took just
    seconds to destroy will take weeks and months and, in some cases, maybe
    even years to rebuild. Some of you may have lost precious pictures,
    letters, service medals,

    [[Page 284]]

    other mementos of loved ones and family members that may never be able
    to be replaced. We know that. But it's also important for you to know
    that we understand that you'll be going through a period in which you'll
    feel all different kinds of emotions. You may be in shock. You may feel
    like crying. You may feel angry. And some of the people that are
    supposed to help you may or may not do as good a job as they should the
    first time you ask for it or need it.
        What I want to say today is that, all over this country, your fellow
    Americans are praying for you and pulling for you. And whatever it is
    within our power to do to help you return to normal lives, we will do.
        I have already designated Federal assistance to 34 Florida counties
    affected by the tornadoes. Twelve will now be able to receive aid to
    restore public facilities and infrastructure and to take protective
    measures: Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Duval, Hamilton, Hardee,
    Highlands, Marion, Nassau, Osceola, Suwannee, and Union Counties. And we
    are also providing today $3 million from the Department of Labor for
    temporary jobs for workers to assist in the disaster recovery work so
    that we can complete it more quickly.
        My experience has been that the efforts you see going on around you
    to just clean out the debris and help people look at a place as nearly
    as possible as it once was before the tornado is psychologically one of
    the most important things that can be done to help the healing process
    and to get people back to normal.
        We'll also continue under FEMA's direction to provide the resources
    necessary to meeting the immediate disaster needs. Already FEMA
    staffers, the SBA, the Department of Labor, the Corps of Engineers, and
    some of our young AmeriCorps volunteers are here helping in the effort.
        Let me say again a special work of commendation not only to the
    State and local emergency management officials and the search and rescue
    teams and the volunteers who have been working for 72 hours, but I'd
    also like to say a word of appreciation to Governor Chiles and to Lieutenant Governor MacKay with whom, unfortunately, I have had the opportunity to
    work now through more than one disaster. Florida has seen a lot of its
    natural disaster shares. I think you've used up your quota for the next
    20 or 30 years in the last few years. But I've had an opportunity to see
    a caring team of State leaders who work hard, work fast, and stay after
    us at the national level to do our part, and I want to thank them for
    that.
        Let me also just say, for a moment, you may have seen in the news
    media that California, which has been beset by unusual amounts of
    raining and flooding because of El Nino, yesterday was badly hit by
    storms. People died there, and our thoughts are with their loved ones.
    I've asked Mr. Witt to go with me to
    California today so that he can go to the impacted area and see what is
    going on there.
        Again, let me say that the thoughts and prayers of the American
    people are with you. In the Book of Isaiah in the Bible there is this
    chapter--I'd like to read it to you: ``The bricks are fallen down, but
    we will build with you in stones. The sycamores are cut down, but we
    will change them into cedars.'' We want to see you do that, brick by
    brick, home by home, street by street. You can do it, and we want to be
    there to help.
        God bless you. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:56 a.m. at the Ponderosa Park
    Campground. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Lawton Chiles and Lt.
    Gov. Buddy MacKay of Florida; State Senators Charlie Bronson and Florida
    Senate Minority Leader Buddy Dyer; Speaker of the Florida House of
    Representatives Daniel Webster; Mayor Frank Atkinson of Kissimmee; Chuck
    Dunnick, chair, Osceola County Commissioners; and Maj. Gen. Ronald O.
    Harrison, adjutant general of Florida. A tape was not available for
    verification of the content of these remarks.