For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 15, 2004
National Hurricane Preparedness Week, 2004
Hurricanes are among nature's most powerful forces, bringing
destructive winds, tornadoes, and floods from torrential rains and
ocean storm surges. Each year, several hurricanes develop off American
shores in the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. Some
of these strike the United States coastline every year, causing
numerous fatalities and costing billions of dollars in damage. Many
Americans are vulnerable to the dangers of these storms.
In recent years, advances in how we predict and track these storms
have improved preparedness and saved lives, but people living in
hurricane-prone areas still must be prepared. The National Hurricane
Center within the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recommends developing a family
disaster plan, creating a disaster supply kit, and staying aware of
current weather situations.
While citizens make preparations to keep themselves safe, the
Federal Government is maintaining our commitment to improve forecasts
to provide advance warning and to coordinate effective emergency
response. The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency
Management Agency is also working on a plan to better position disaster
equipment and supplies, so Federal resources to support local emergency
services arrive quickly.
While no policy can eliminate the threat that hurricanes pose to
lives and property, cooperation among citizens and Federal, State, and
local officials can reduce the dangers and provide a more effective
response to these storms.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 16 through May
22, 2004, as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. I call upon
government agencies, private organizations, schools, news media, and
residents in hurricane-prone areas to share information about hurricane
preparedness and response, and to implement steps to minimize storm
damage and save lives. I also call upon Americans living in the
coastal areas of our Nation to use this opportunity to learn more about
how to protect themselves against the effects of hurricanes and
tropical storms.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day
of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-eighth.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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