[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 1 (Monday, January 10, 2005)]
[Pages 5-6]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Mobilizing Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunamis Disaster 
Relief

January 3, 2005

    I thank you all for coming. I'm honored to be standing here with two 
former Presidents, President Bush 41, President Clinton 42. We have come 
together to express our country's sympathy for the victims of a great 
tragedy. We're here to ask our fellow citizens to join in a broad 
humanitarian relief effort.
    Eight days ago, the most powerful earthquake in 40 years shook the 
island of Sumatra. The earthquake caused violent tsunamis in the Indian 
Ocean, which left an arc of destruction from Thailand to the Horn of 
Africa. The devastation in the region defies comprehension. More than 
150,000 lives are estimated to be lost, including 90,000 in Indonesia 
alone. As many as 5 million people are thought to be homeless or without 
food or shelter. Thousands more are missing, and millions are vulnerable 
to disease.
    Across the United States this week, our flags will fly at half-staff 
to honor the victims of this disaster. We mourn especially the tens of 
thousands of children who are lost. We think of the tens of thousands 
more who will grow up without their parents or their brothers or their 
sisters. We hold in our prayers all the people whose fate is still 
unknown.
    The United States Government is in close contact with the 
governments of the affected countries, and America is playing a leading 
role in the relief and recovery efforts. Our Nation has committed 
military assets and made an initial commitment of $350 million for 
disaster relief. We're working with the United Nations and with 
governments around the world to coordinate the comprehensive 
international response. American military assets in the region are now 
aiding recovery efforts. Patrol and cargo aircraft have been surveying 
damage and delivering supplies for several days. Air Force C-130s are 
flying aid missions 24 hours a day.
    We are grateful for the hard work of the men and women who wear our 
Nation's uniform. The Abraham Lincoln carrier group is in place near 
Indonesia and transporting relief supplies by helicopter. Other naval 
and Marine assets will arrive shortly to generate clean water and 
provide further logistical help.
    I have sent a delegation headed by Secretary of State Powell and 
Governor Bush of Florida to the Indian Ocean region. There they will 
meet with fellow leaders and international organizations to assess 
relief efforts in place as well as the needs that remain. Secretary 
Powell and Governor Bush will report their findings directly to me, so 
we can ensure that our Government provides the most effective assistance 
possible.
    We're showing the compassion of our Nation in the swift response. 
But the greatest source of America's generosity is not our Government; 
it's the good heart of the American people. In the weeks since the 
tsunami struck, private citizens have contributed millions of dollars 
for disaster relief and reconstruction. Organizations like the Red Cross 
and the Red Crescent, the Salvation Army, Catholic Relief Services, Save 
the Children, CARE, UNICEF, and America Cares responded rapidly after 
the tsunamis hit. They have reported an outpouring of generosity from 
around the world.
    To draw even greater amounts of private donations, I have asked two 
of America's most distinguished private citizens to head a nationwide 
charitable fundraising effort. Both men, both Presidents, know the great 
decency of our people. They bring tremendous leadership experience to 
this role, and they bring good hearts. I am grateful to the former 
Presidents, Clinton and Bush, for taking on this important 
responsibility and for serving our country once again.
    In the coming days, President Clinton and Bush will ask Americans to 
donate directly to reliable charities already providing help to tsunami 
victims. Many of these organizations have dispatched experts to the 
disaster area, and they have an indepth understanding of the resources 
required to meet the needs on the ground. In this situation, cash 
donations are most useful, and I've asked the former Presidents to 
solicit contributions both large and small.
    Over the past week, we have seen some of the innovative ways 
Americans are helping people in need. A coffee roaster in California is 
handing out bags of coffee for a $10 donation to the Red Cross. In 
Virginia Beach, the

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owner of a tax assistance firm is making a donation for every tax return 
he prepares. Worshipers at a Buddhist temple in Houston collected 
thousands of dollars in cash to send to their sister temple in Sri 
Lanka. Some people are selling personal items on the Internet and 
donating the cash to the charities. Many corporations are matching 
contributions by their employees. And several have shown exceptional 
generosity by donating large amounts of cash and products to the relief 
efforts.
    Presidents Clinton and Bush will be speaking about the countless 
ways individuals and businesses can support this urgent cause. I ask 
every American to contribute as they are able to do so. For more 
information about how to make a donation, you can visit the USA Freedom 
Corps web site at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.
    Americans have suffered sudden catastrophe many times in our own 
history, from massive earthquakes in Anchorage and San Francisco to 
destructive wildfires in the West to the series of hurricanes that 
struck Florida last year. From our own experiences, we know that nothing 
can take away the grief of those affected by tragedy. We also know that 
Americans have a history of rising to meet great humanitarian challenges 
and of providing hope to suffering peoples. As men and women across the 
devastated region begin to rebuild, we offer our sustained compassion 
and our generosity and our assurance that America will be there to help.
    The Presidents and I will be going to the embassies of the countries 
affected to pay our Nation's respects. I'm so grateful that both 
President Bush and President Clinton have taken time out of their busy 
schedules to not only serve as a catalyst for people to give money to 
help but also to join me and Laura in paying our deepest respects to 
those nations that have been affected by the tsunamis. As well the 
Presidents will return to the White House compound to talk to members of 
the press about how to better effect this great relief effort that is 
now going on in our Nation.
    Thank you all for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 10:15 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida. 
The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of these remarks.