[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
[August 20, 2008]
[Pages 1150-1156]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks on Gulf Coast Reconstruction in New Orleans, Louisiana
August 20, 2008
Thank you all. Thank you for the warm welcome. Please be seated.
Thanks for the warm welcome. General, thank you for the kind introduction. Who would have
thought that 3 years after the storm, the President can come and say,
New Orleans, Louisiana, is on its way back as a stronger and better
city.
[[Page 1151]]
I'm proud to be here at Jackson Barracks, built by my predecessor,
President Andrew Jackson. [Laughter] He built it to protect the city of
New Orleans. And that's exactly what the folks housed in this facility
have done and will continue to do. So first, I want to pay homage to the
Louisiana National Guard. I thank you for what you did during the rescue
efforts. Even though your own homes were destroyed, you went out to save
people and their homes. And the people of Louisiana--[applause].
I think the message here today is, hope is being restored, hope is
coming back. I'm going to spend some time here in New Orleans, and then
I'm heading over to Gulfport, Mississippi--same message. And I'm,
frankly, not surprised. I'm not surprised that hope is marching in
because I understand the nature of the people who live here in this
community and these communities. I have seen people when their spirits
were at a low ebb, but never did they give up. And now I've seen
incredible progress is being made.
Oh, there's still work to be done. This isn't, like, a farewell
address, you know, George Bush came and he said he's through. No,
we're--there's still more work to be done. But I do think it's important
to take stock of the moment and to remind people how far this community
has come.
Laura Bush sends her best. She's spent a lot
of time down here, and so have I. The librarians in this part of the
world are especially grateful; after all, the Laura Bush Foundation has
helped refurbish a lot of school libraries up and down the Gulf Coast.
She sends her very best. I know she would say what I'm about to say:
It's amazing to come into a crowd like this, and look around and see so
many familiar faces, people that we have come to admire and, frankly,
after all this business is over, people that we'll say are our friends.
Maybe it's because of the tragedy that struck that we formed a close
bond, I don't know. But I can tell you that we have made a lot of good
friends in the Gulf Coast region. And even though I'm headed for
retirement in about 6 months, that's not to say I'm going to forget who
my friends are in this part of the world.
I do want to thank the Governor
for joining us, Governor Bobby Jindal. He's a--[applause]. It should not
surprise you that on the helicopter ride here, Jindal had a few agenda
items. [Laughter] That's what Presidents have come to expect. And I
appreciate the way he laid them out in logical form with a--in a very
respectful tone.
I'm also proud to be here with the mayor of
this great city. The mayor and I have had some quality time. [Laughter]
We have come to know each other. I remember when I first flew down here,
there was the mayor at the end of the steps of Air Force One. I said,
``How you doing, Mayor?'' He said, ``I'm hungry, and I haven't had a
bath.'' I said to the steward on Air Force One, ``Fix the man up with a
meal, and turn on the hot water in the shower.''
And I appreciate you, Mayor. I appreciate
the fact that you decided to run for office again. You said to the
people of this part of the world, ``There is unfinished business, and I
intend to be a part of the finished business.'' And the people listened,
and they put you back in office. And I'm proud to be with you, Ray.
Thanks for coming.
We've got a lot of people from the delegations, the Federal
delegations. William Jefferson is
with us. Congressman, I'm proud you're here. Thank you for coming.
The one thing you learn when you're in this part of the world is you
better pay attention to the parish presidents. [Laughter] Right,
Ray? You are one. But so is Aaron
Broussard of Jefferson Parish. I'm proud
to see you, Aaron. I'll never forget my first time when we came to see
you. We were in, like, a community center or something. And I think you
were in Bermuda shorts. [Laughter] Or they may have
[[Page 1152]]
been spandex shorts. [Laughter] But nevertheless, you were focused, you
were intense, and you got the job done for the people of your parish. I
really appreciate you coming.
Billy Nungesser of Plaquemines Parish is
here. Billy, thanks for working hard. Now, the Governor says that Billy says, ``We're through with the
recovery. We're moving on. There's still projects to be done, but
Plaquemines Parish is heading into the future with confidence.''
I'm proud to be here with the parish president from St. Bernard's
Parish, Craig Taffaro. Craig, I'm
honored you're here. He's the first to admit he's got his hands full.
But I want to thank you for your leadership, and thank you for agreeing
to take on the issues and the problems. You could have easily have
ducked the responsibility that comes with elected office. It would have
been much easier to say, ``We'll just let somebody deal with the next 4
years; I think I'll show up later on.'' But you came in and you've taken
the lead, and we appreciate it.
I want--proud to be here with General Landreneau. General, it's good to see you again. Thank you for
your time. I said thanks to Hunt Downer; that would be General Downer. I appreciate--[applause].
Don Powell was the first man down here
to work with the local officials to try to make sure this recovery was
coordinated, that the money was well spent, that the money was focused
in the proper direction. He did a fine job. He decided he wanted to go
back to the promised land; that would be the State of Texas. [Laughter]
And so I asked General Doug O'Dell to
take his place. He's a tough-nosed, no-nonsense guy who cares deeply
about the people down here. General, thanks for coming. I'm proud you're
here.
So the next two men I'm going to introduce are people that you came to know
well, and people I came to know well too, people I admire a lot. First,
the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, Admiral Thad Allen. And
the man who came up with a new phrase in American lexicon, which was,
``Don't stay stuck on stupid''--General Russ Honore; thank you. U.S.
Army, retired--what's it like? [Laughter] Yes.
At the airport, I had the honor of saying hello to the Saints
quarterback, Drew Brees, and running back Deuce
McAllister. By the way, as
you may know, Laura and I were at the Olympics;
no finer citizen of the United States and of this part of the world than
Chris Paul of the Hornets.
And thank you all for coming. I appreciate you being here a lot.
It's hard to believe that it was 3 years ago that Katrina, in essence,
wiped out a lot of this city. I mean, just flooded it and just destroyed
a lot of hopes and a lot of dreams. Eight hundred thousand people across
the Gulf Coast area left their homes; that's a lot. Eight hundred
thousand people figured out how to leave and headed into--all across
America. Never before has our Nation seen such destruction by nature--
never before. And a lot of folks, I'm confident, wondered whether or not
there would be a brighter tomorrow.
In the midst of all the flood water, people were saying, ``Oh man,
can we possibly have a good future here?'' And yet the good future is
here. I'm--not to be a ``told you so,'' but I was in Jackson Square, and
I predicted that New Orleans would come back as a stronger and better
city. That's the prediction I made. I also pledged that we'd help. And
$126 billion later, 3 years after the storm, we've helped deliver $126
billion of U.S. taxpayers' money. [Applause] And I thank you for
applauding on that statement, but I know you're applauding the American
taxpayer. A lot of people around the country care deeply about the
people down here. And so it was--you know, it was money that we were
happy to spend.
The money is mainly in the hands of State and local governments,
helping to rebuild. And there's a lot of work to be done;
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I fully understand that. And as Bobby made
clear and the mayor made clear, there's some
ongoing projects that they want to make sure the Federal Government pays
attention to, and we will. I make no promises; this isn't a chance for
me to come and try to be a typical politician and make you a promise I
don't intend to keep. I hope by now people understand that when I say
something, we're going to get it done, but I am judicious about saying
things. And so I told Bobby and told the mayor, we're open minded, and
we'll listen very carefully to make sure that this recovery continues
on.
There are people hurting--I fully understand that--people waiting to
get back in their home, wondering whether a brighter day is possible.
Yet a brighter day is coming. And I want to talk about some of the
hopeful progress that's being made. I think it's important for our
citizens around the country to understand, there is hopeful progress
here. We see hopeful signs in the work to protect New Orleans from
future storms. The Army Corps of Engineer [Engineers]* has repaired 220
miles of levees. That's important. You cannot rebuild these communities
unless you're confident that the levee system will work in the future.
The corps is upgrading the flood walls so they're stronger than before
Katrina.
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*White House correction.
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We're on track to meet our goal of a 100-year flood plain protection
by the year 2011. I know there were some doubts about whether or not the
corps would be able to get the job done. I can remember clearly, on one
of my visits--maybe it was the year after the storm--people say, ``Oh
yeah, sure, he's just saying this, and they don't intend to do it.''
Well, we intended to do it, and the corps is working hard.
Governor Jindal requested that Louisiana be
allowed to pay the State's share of the levee improvement costs over 30
years, instead of 3. I listened very carefully to what he had to say. I
didn't think Louisiana ought to choose between rebuilding flood walls
and completing other projects that are vital to recovery, so I granted
the Governor's request. [Applause]
Thank you. This is not supposed to be self-congratulatory.
[Laughter] I'm congratulating you.
There is hopeful signs of progress as housing is restored.
Louisiana's Road Home program has put nearly $7 billion into the hands
of more than 115,000 homeowners. Federal dollars are increasing
affordable housing throughout New Orleans. And as we rebuild, the
strategy is not to repeat the mistakes of the past, but to move toward a
vibrant mixed-income neighborhood system. Each week, hundreds of
families are moving out of their temporary housing, and they're heading
into permanent, long-term structures. And that's hopeful. Do more people
need to move out? Absolutely. But has progress been made? Absolutely.
We see hopeful signs of progress in the growth of the economy. New
Orleans sales tax revenues are at nearly 90 percent of their prestorm
levels. Think about that. Three years after the devastating storm, sales
tax are at 90 percent of where they were prior to the storm. Employment
increased by 8,000 jobs last year. The Port of New Orleans is a bustling
center of commerce and trade; Louisiana exports now exceed pre-Katrina
levels.
The present city's tourism industry is on the rebound. The
mayor was telling me tourism is back. People
are coming here with confidence that they're going to have a good
experience. That's the reason why we had the North Americans' Leaders'
summit here; I wanted the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada to get a flavor, a taste of what New Orleans is all
about. And they did.
The health care system is improving. The Department of Health and
Human Services has provided more than $2.6 billion to care for the poor
and uninsured, to offer mental health services, and to support primary
care
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clinics and hospitals. The Federal Government is helping to recruit
doctors and nurses and other health care professionals. We want to make
sure the people of New Orleans have the care that is necessary for this
population to grow. And we're working with the Governor to build a
system of community-based clinics that encourages good preventative care
and eases the strain on the city's emergency rooms.
There's hopeful progress when it comes to reducing crime. No
question about it, there needs to be a lot of effort, Chief, and I know you're working hard to reduce crime.
It's essential that folks get after the crime problem here in New
Orleans. Everybody knows that. And we want to help. There is a role for
the Federal Government to help the local police force deal with crime.
And so there's--Federal funds are given to local police and sheriffs,
essential equipment like cars, computers, and radios. Agents--Federal
agents are working the streets alongside the New Orleans police. Federal
resources are helping the police department rebuild its crime lab and
resolve its forensics backlog.
Violent crime is a problem. But I was told, over the last 6 months,
there is notable improvements. My only point to the people of New
Orleans is we'll continue to help you solve your crime problem.
We're seeing hopeful signs of progress when it comes to education in
New Orleans. More than 80 public schools in the city have reopened.
That's good; that's really good. You can't have a vibrant city unless
you got your schools up and running. About half now are charter schools,
to give greater access to--give parents better options. High schools
that once struggled are being transformed into career-oriented
academies. In other words, there's a lot of innovation here in New
Orleans. Rather than repeat mistakes of the past, people said: ``Let's
come together and let's innovate. Let's make this school system''--
[applause].
I find it interesting that Teach for America is focused on New
Orleans, that they're recruiting a lot of really bright kids from around
the country to come here and help the youngsters of this part of the
world achieve educational excellence. By the way, because of--
accountability measures have been put in place, I'm able to report to
the people in Louisiana and around the country that test scores across
this city have improved significantly.
More restaurants are now open in New Orleans than before the storm.
Isn't that interesting? [Laughter] You can get some good food here too.
As I mentioned, I saw the Saints football
stars; they're now going to
start a new season in a refurbished Super Dome.
Religious institutions are opening up. Places of worship that were
closed are now opening their doors. Musicians are returning this season
to Mahalia Jackson Theatre. Earlier this year, New Orleans celebrated
the return of another sweet sound, the streetcars on St. Charles Avenue.
This city is coming back.
As we think about the future, it's important to remember some of the
great acts of compassion that took place. I think about the folks who
came from across the country here to volunteer, 14 million hours. Isn't
that amazing? Brothers and sisters in need, and total strangers came to
say, ``What can I do to help you?''
I think about the citizens across the country who donated $3.5
billion to total strangers to help. I think about the people here in
Jackson Barracks that went out of their way to serve. And I think about
all the citizens we've met, and I'm just going to cite three, but they're extraordinary examples of what took place.
First, Daryn Dodson. See, he was studying
at Stanford Business School. Like, what would be a natural thing, being
at Stanford Business School, is stay out there in Silicon Valley and try
to be a part of the high-tech boom, the next wave of technology. That
would have been very tempting for--but he felt the need to come back to
New Orleans to help--or come to New Orleans
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to help. And so he joined what's called the Idea Village. It's a program
to support the city's entrepreneurs, to help stimulate economic growth.
It's a incubator for good ideas. This bright man decided, instead of
trying to seek his own personal wealth, to come here and help people
realize the blessings of entrepreneurship, all aiming to add value and
to create jobs here in New Orleans.
I appreciate so very much, Daryn, the
briefings that you gave me and Laura. And I
appreciate the fact that you're back here in New Orleans, serving.
Thanks for coming.
Okay. Then there's Leah Chase. Some of you
might have heard of Dooky Chase. Dooky Chase, for those people
listening, is a New Orleans institution. It's been around for several
decades, as has Leah. [Laughter] The flood waters left her restaurant
completely ruined. She saw her whole life washed away, and she wasn't
sure where she was going to find the strength to go on. And she found
that strength, though, in her faith, in her family, and her friends and
neighbors. The community held fundraisers here in New Orleans to help
her rebuild. I found it interesting that high school students from all
over the country came to help her rebuild. I found it amazing that
friends in Indiana donated new chairs for a dining room. And I'm here to
testify the food is awesome. [Laughter]
And finally, Doris Hicks. She is the
principal of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School of Science and
Technology of the Lower Ninth Ward. We had a chance to visit her school.
After Katrina, the flooding at MLK was so bad that they found fish on
the second floor of the high school. That's high water. She was told she
couldn't open until 2010. Somebody said, ``We're pessimistic.'' I guess
they didn't understand her spirit. They said, ``You won't be open until
2010.'' She didn't appreciate that. She said that this community needed
this school up and running. It's open today. I'm told families are
moving into the community so they can return to that school, and she
puts it, ``There's no other place like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and
there's no other place like New Orleans.'' Well, first of all, there's
not many--[applause]--and there is no other place like New Orleans and
its surrounding parishes.
This is an important part of our country. This is a part of our
country that was flat on its back and is now standing up and headed for
the future. I have been so honored to work with you. As I told you, I'm
sprinting to the finish, and so I'm not through, but I thought around
this third anniversary of a tragic event, it makes sense to come by and
say, here's what's happened; here's where you're headed. It's an awesome
example of courage and determination, desire, and I am here to honor you
all.
I appreciate the citizens of New Orleans and the citizens of south
Louisiana showing what is possible in the face of unspeakable tragedy. I
thank you for staying with it. I thank you for allowing me to come by
and see you once again. May God bless you, and may God continue to bless
our country.
Note: The President spoke at 2:20 p.m. at Jackson Barracks. In his
remarks, he referred to Maj. Gen. Huntington B. Downer, Jr., assistant
adjutant general, Louisiana National Guard, who introduced the
President; Mayor C. Ray Nagin of New Orleans, LA; Billy Nungesser,
president, Plaquemines Parish; Maj. Gen. Bennett C. Landreneau, adjutant
general, Louisiana National Guard; former Federal Coordinator for Gulf
Coast Region Recovery and Rebuilding Donald E. Powell; Maj. Gen. Douglas
V. O'Dell, Jr., USMC (Ret.), in his capacity as Federal Coordinator,
Office of Gulf Coast Rebuilding; Chris Paul, point guard, National
Basketball Association's New Orleans Hornets; President
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Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa of Mexico; Prime Minister Stephen
Harper of Canada; and Warren J. Riley, superintendent, New Orleans
Police Department.