    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
    [September 15, 2008]
    [Pages 1204-1205]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Briefing on Hurricane Ike Recovery Efforts
    September 15, 2008

        Thank you very much, Secretary Chertoff, for your briefing--you just came back from Houston;
    Administrator Paulison. The briefing, of
    course, was on the damage done to Texas and Louisiana, a result of Ike.
        We obviously watch this recovery very carefully, because the Federal
    Government is playing a crucial role in helping the people of the
    devastated areas recover. We're working closely with the State and local
    authorities on a variety of subjects.
        Recently I was informed that there are going to be a--numerous
    points of distribution for food, water, and ice throughout Harris County
    to help the people there adjust. Obviously, until electricity is fully
    restored, people are going to need help with water, food, and ice.
        There's some good news on electricity. Electricity is beginning to
    be restored. Obviously, there's a lot more houses and folks that are
    waiting for electricity, but people are working hard. There's crews
    coming in from around the country to help.
        The energy situation is one that's of concern. Our drivers, our
    folks at the pump are going to have to expect some upward pressure on
    price, because the storm disrupted the supply of gasoline as a result of
    shutting down refineries and pipelines. Now, two--the two major
    pipelines are up and running, which is positive news, and it happened
    quicker than we thought it would happen. Yet until those refineries get
    up and running full blast, those pipelines are going to be looking for
    product.
        And so there's going to be a pinch. I wish it wasn't the case, but
    it is. On the other hand, if the pinch is too hard, if people think
    they're being treated unfairly, they need to get on the Department of
    Energy web site, because there's--or the FTC web site--and make their
    complaints known.
        The storm was--damaged a lot of infrastructure, but truthfully, it
    was not as bad as some predicted that it would be on the energy sector.
        I'm going down tomorrow; I'm looking forward to going down. Members
    of my

    [[Page 1205]]

    administration will be going down. We're looking forward to hearing
    from, you know, the local folks. I'm confident there will be people that
    are very frustrated because their lives have been severely affected by
    this storm. And my message will be that we hear you, and we'll work as
    hard and fast as we can to help you get your lives back up to normal.
        Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:05 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
    White House. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of these remarks.