THE PRESIDENT: You know the job of the federal government and the
state government is to surge resources as quickly as possible to
disaster areas. And that's exactly what's happening now. We choppered
over and saw the devastation of this area. A lot of people's lives are
turned upside down. We've got ice and water moving in, trailers for
people to live in are moving in. The state is providing security so
that people can have peace of mind that their neighborhoods will be
safe. There's a lot of compassion moving in the area, the Red Cross is
here.
What I'm telling you is that there's a lot of help moving into this
part of the world -- it's going to take a while to rebuild it. But the
government's job is to help people help rebuild their lives, and that's
what's happening.
The coordination between the federal government and the state
government and the local government is really important. I think it's
excellent now. The governor can speak to that, if you like. But it's
really important that when we say we're going to do something, that it
actually happens. And that's what we're following through on now.
I'll answer some questions, if you've got some.
Q Can you tell us about some of the people who you spoke with
and what they told you?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I've got -- you know, these good folks here,
this is this man's house here. His parents were uprooted from where
they were living. They came here to spend the night. And that's what
you're beginning to see. You're beginning to see neighbors helping
neighbors. A lot of people who have been dislocated are staying with a
friend or a neighbor. You know, out of these catastrophes the spirit
of America really shines, and that spirit is neighbor helping
neighbor. So that's the lesson here.
The fellow down the street came out okay; he had taken precautions
necessary. Nearly everybody here that I've talked to had evacuated,
as the state asked them to do and, therefore, the loss of life was
minimized -- still, too many people lost their lives, but,
nevertheless, it was not as significant as it could have been. We're
here, obviously, in a residential neighborhood where people's lives
have been destroyed. They're beginning to worry about insurance claims
and the state is organized to handle insurance claims. The key is just
to make sure that they expedite the services which are available as
quickly as possible.
Q There was some consternation after Andrew that the federal
aid didn't arrive soon enough. Can you promise that there will be a
more expeditious response this time?
THE PRESIDENT: It's happening now --
Q Sir --
THE PRESIDENT: Hold up for a second. We're moving a lot of aid
very quickly and, again, you can ask the governor whether or not he's
satisfied with how fast the aid is moving. All I can tell you is that
FEMA was on the ground yesterday morning and there's a lot of supplies
surging this way.
Yes, ma'am.
Q Have you gotten an updated tally of the cost of the damage --
THE PRESIDENT: Not yet. Jeb estimated billions. We'll see.
Q Mr. President, some people are going to say that there's a
political component to your rapid visit to Florida.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, and if I didn't come they would have said, he
should have been here more rapidly.
Q Yes. (Laughter.)
Q What about what happened in '92, with Hurricane Andrew? That
was obviously in August of a presidential --
THE PRESIDENT: That was then, this is now. And the government is
set up to respond very quickly and we are.
Q Was there a lesson learned back then, though?
THE PRESIDENT: The lesson is, respond quickly. And we are
responding quickly. And we're surging equipment. And the coordination
between the federal government and the state government is excellent.
And the Homeland Security Department is doing its job. FEMA Director
Brown is doing an excellent job. You can talk to the governor, he can
give you a sense from the state perspective. But from the federal
perspective, I was notified that they're going to move as quickly as
possible, and they are. A lot of stuff is coming.