[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book II)]
[September 1, 2008]
[Pages 1166-1167]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Following a Briefing at the Emergency Operations Center in 
Austin, Texas
September 1, 2008

    Governor, thank you; 
Senator, thank you for 
coming; Members of Congress.
    The coordination on this storm is a lot better than on--than during 
Katrina. A lot of it had to do with 
the Governors. Yesterday I was on the video 
conference with the Governors of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and 
Texas. There was clearly a spirit of sharing assets, of listening to 
somebody's problems and saying, how can we best address them? The 
Federal Government is very much involved in helping the States. Our job 
is to assist. That's why Secretary Paulison is with me today; he heads FEMA.
    I do want to thank the State of Texas and other States for welcoming 
citizens from Louisiana. It's been a huge evacuation. It's hard for a 
citizen to pull up stakes and move out of their home and face the 
uncertainty that comes when you're not at home. And I want to thank

[[Page 1167]]

those citizens who listened carefully to the local authorities and 
evacuated. And I want to thank my fellow citizens in Texas and in other 
States for welcoming these folks in open arms. The State of Texas is a 
generous State. And, Governor, I wanted to 
thank you and your team for being so kind to the people.
    And it's very important for those who have been evacuated to listen 
very carefully to the officials in their respective States before they 
decide to return. This storm is yet to pass. It's a serious event. And 
as the Governor mentioned, the people of 
east Texas got to be prepared for a possible flooding event.
    All in all, what I look for is to determine whether or not assets 
are in place to help, whether or not there's coordination, and whether 
or not there's preparation for recovery. And to that end, I feel good 
about this event.
    And I do want to thank Gail McGovern of 
the American Red Cross for joining us, and thank a lot of the other 
organizations that are preparing to go help people in need. These 
organizations, such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, 
require the support of our citizens.
    And if you're interested in how you can help once the storm passes, 
please call up the different web sites of these organizations and donate 
your time or your money so that the recovery effort is as compassionate 
and complete as possible.
    Governor, thanks for having me. I want 
to thank your team for all the hard work they're doing. I'm looking 
forward to going in with you in the room next door to say thanks to the 
people that are working the long hours. And we're going to go down to 
San Antonio and see a staging area there and thank the people there for 
working so hard, not only on behalf of the citizens of Texas, but on 
behalf of the people of the region.
    Appreciate it. It's good to be home.

Note: The President spoke at 11:05 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Gov. J. Richard Perry of Texas; Sen. Kathryn A. ``Kay'' Bailey 
Hutchison; Gov. Robert R. Riley of Alabama; Gov. Piyush ``Bobby'' Jindal 
of Louisiana; Gov. Haley R. Barbour of Mississippi; and Gail J. 
McGovern, president and chief executive officer, American Red Cross.