    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [March 3, 2007]
    [Pages 228-229]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Tour of Enterprise High School and an Exchange With
    Reporters in Enterprise
    March 3, 2007

        The heart of a community like Enterprise, Alabama, is the schools.
    And today I have walked through devastation that's hard to describe. Our
    thoughts, of course, go out to the students who perished. We thank God
    for the hundreds who lived. I want the folks of Enterprise to know that
    to the extent the Government can, our Federal Government can, in working
    with the State, we'll help rebuild the school system--this high school.
    We can never replace lives, and we can't heal hearts, except through
    prayer. And I know--I want the students to know and the families to know
    that there's a lot of people praying for them.
        I met with the president of the student body, who recognizes that the end of her senior year is going
    to be difficult. But as a student leader, she will have the opportunity
    to help people rebuild, and that she will learn that out of the
    devastation--and her classmates will learn that out of the devastation
    can come hope and a better tomorrow.
        And so we ask for the blessings on the students and their families.
    We ask for the blessings on the principal and
    the administrator. We thank this good community for rallying strongly by
    the side of those who have been affected. And I thank the people of
    Enterprise for the warm welcome I have received here.
        The people of America have got to know that the citizens here, even
    though affected by devastation, have shown great courage and compassion
    for their citizens in need. And it's really part of the strength of the
    United States to know that there's such decent folks.
        God bless everybody. Thank you all.

    Aerial Tour of Areas Damaged by Tornadoes/Recovery

        Q. How did it look from the air, sir?
        The President. It looks as bad from the air as it looks from the
    ground. And you can see right here the effects of the storm. But the
    biggest effect of the storm is the shattered lives. We can rebuild
    buildings, and the fundamental question is, will the spirit stay strong
    in Enterprise, Alabama? And I predict that it not only will stay strong;
    it will be strengthened. That's my prediction. And it's easy to tell
    when you talk to the people, whether it's young or old, this town
    refuses to be devastated. This town is a town full of people that will
    not be--will not succumb to the effects of the storm. The mayor is strong, the principal
    of the school is strong, the Lieutenant, and the children, the high
    school seniors.
        And so it's a--these are very tough times for the people here, and
    there are going to be tough times for the people in Georgia that were
    affected. And I just hope they know that a lot of people are praying for
    them, that a lot of strangers that they'll never have met care for them,
    and that out of this rubble will emerge a better tomorrow, and that's
    the commitment that I hear here in Enterprise. And the role

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    of the Government is going to help, to the extent that we can.
        All right, thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:24 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Megan Parks, student government association president, and Rick Rainer,
    principal, Enterprise High School; and Mayor Kenneth W. Boswell of
    Enterprise, AL.