    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [May 13, 2003]
    [Pages 484-485]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Pierce City, Missouri
    May 13, 2003

        Thank you all very much. It is my honor to be here. Can you hear me
    back there? It is my honor to be here with some of our country's finest
    citizens. I am sorry I'm here under such circumstances.
        I first want to thank the mayor for his
    hospitality and helping to arrange my visit. I want to thank the good
    father for opening up this place of
    worship, this house of God, to help those who suffer. I find it--and I
    hope you do--uplifting that in the midst of tragedy, amongst people who
    have lost their homes, in some cases their loved one, or their
    businesses, lost their possessions, that we gather to comfort each other
    and to find help in the house of the Lord, because it's with His
    strength and His prayer that you'll find the sustenance to go on.
        One of the things that struck me as I worked through the crowd here,
    shaking as many hands as I could, was that the people here who have been
    affected by the storm are ready to move on, are ready to pick up their
    lives, and are ready to do everything they can to convert this tragedy
    into good. Folks want to rebuild their--the feed man told me, he said,
    ``I got wiped out, but I'm starting tomorrow to rebuild my company.''
    And there's no doubt you will, because there's a lot of people that want
    to help you.
        And for the volunteers who are here, the people who have taken time
    out of your lives--the Red Cross or the Salvation Army or the church
    groups or the USA Freedom Corps people--I want to thank you very much
    for helping your neighbor in need.
        I'm asking the FEMA people and the Governor and the mayor and
    everybody--I said, ``Is the Government moving fast enough?'' That's the
    question that I need to know. And some of you said, ``Yes,'' and some of
    you said, ``No.'' And for the ones who said, ``No,'' we will do
    everything we can to get you the--what you're owed. We'll process the
    paperwork as fast as possible, and if you qualify for help, they'll get
    you the help. That's what we're supposed to be doing.
        So one of my visits--one of the reasons I'm visiting here is to ask
    the question, you know, to people. Because if there's--moving too slow
    or people are saying one thing and the other thing is not happening, now
    is the time to find out.
        But the other real reason is to let you know there's a lot of
    Americans who are praying for you. A lot of people around this country
    saw the devastation--they didn't see what I've seen, because they--you
    can't tell how bad it is until you actually come here to Pierce City and
    see it

    [[Page 485]]

    yourself. You can't realize what it's like to see a tornado go right
    down the main street of a town and just wipe it out. It's hard to
    envision. But a lot of people know you're suffering, and a lot of people
    are praying for you, and a lot of people care for you. And a lot of
    people wish you all the best.
        May God bless you.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:05 p.m. in the parish hall at St. Mary's
    Catholic Church. In his remarks, he referred to Mayor Mark Peters of
    Pierce City; and Rev. Peter J. Morciniec, pastor, St. Mary's Catholic
    Church. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of these remarks.