    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 38 (Monday, September 26, 2005)]
    [Pages 1427-1428]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    The President's Radio Address

    September 17, 2005

        Good morning. This week I visited Mississippi and Louisiana and
    reported to the Nation on our strategy to help our neighbors in these
    devastated areas recover and rebuild. In the aftermath of Katrina, we
    have seen our fellow citizens uprooted from their homes, searching for
    loved ones, and grieving for the dead. These scenes have touched our
    hearts and moved our whole Nation to action. And the outpouring of
    compassion has sent a clear message to the victims of this storm: Our
    whole Nation cares about you; you are not alone.
        The recovery of the gulf coast region will be one of the largest
    reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen. And I have made a pledge
    of the American people: Throughout the area hit by the hurricane, we
    will help our citizens rebuild their communities and their lives.
        Our strategy rests on three commitments. Our first commitment is to
    meet the immediate needs of those who had to flee their homes and leave
    all their possessions behind. As of this week, more than 500,000 evacuee
    families have gotten emergency help to pay for food, clothing, and other
    essentials, and they will receive broader help in the future. I've asked
    for and the Congress has provided more than $60 billion, an
    unprecedented response to an unprecedented crisis.
        Our second commitment is to help the citizens of the gulf coast put
    their lives back together and rebuild their communities. Our goal is to
    get people out of shelters by the middle of October. So we're providing
    direct assistance to evacuees that will allow them to rent apartments,
    and we're beginning to bring in mobile homes and trailers for temporary
    use in affected areas. We will also help provide housing for the many
    workers who will rebuild cities in the region so that reconstruction can
    move forward quickly.
        To relieve the burden on local health care facilities in the
    disaster areas, we're sending extra doctors and nurses and setting up
    well-supplied temporary community health centers. A number of States
    have taken in evacuees and shown them great compassion, admitting
    children to school and providing health care. So I'll work with Congress
    to ensure the States are reimbursed for these extra expenses.
        Our third commitment is to ensure that the communities we rebuild
    emerge better and stronger. Out of this tragedy comes an opportunity to
    harness the good and gracious spirit of America and deliver new hope to
    neighborhoods that were suffering before the storm. Our reconstruction
    efforts will be guided by certain principles: When cities are rebuilt,
    those cities should have many new businesses, including minority-owned
    businesses. When houses are rebuilt, more families should own, not rent,
    those houses.
        To achieve these aims I've proposed the creation of a Gulf
    Opportunity Zone in the disaster area, with immediate tax relief and
    other incentives for job-creating investment. And to encourage
    homeownership, I have proposed a new urban homesteading act, which would
    identify property in the region owned by the Federal Government and
    provide lots to low-income citizens free of charge, through a lottery.
    In return, they would pledge to build on the lot with either a mortgage
    or help from a charitable organization like Habitat for Humanity.
        As we rebuild homes and businesses, we will renew our promise to be
    the land of

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    equality and decency. And one day, Americans will look back at the
    response to Hurricane Katrina and say that our country grew not only in
    prosperity but also in character and justice.
        Our citizens have responded to this tragedy with action and prayer.
    We ask God's comfort for the men and women who have suffered so much. We
    pray that the missing find safe return and those who were lost find holy
    rest. And we sought the strength of the Almighty for the difficult work
    that lies ahead.
        In the life of our Nation, we have seen that wondrous things are
    possible when we act with God's grace. From the rubble of destroyed
    homes, we can see the beginnings of vibrant new neighborhoods. From the
    despair of lives torn asunder, we can see the hope of rebirth. And from
    the depth of darkness, we can see a bright dawn emerging over the gulf
    coast and the great city of New Orleans.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:50 a.m. on September 16 in the
    Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on September
    17. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on September 16 but was embargoed for release until the
    broadcast. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.