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| August 28, 2006 |
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| Gov Blanco Keynotes Gulf Coast Summit |
KENNER, LOUISIANA - August 28, 2006.
Text of Governor Kathleen Blanco's Keynote Speech at The Gulf Coast Reconstruction & Hurricane Preparedness Summit:
Thank you, Bill Loiry. Equity International’s decision to host this Reconstruction Summit is much appreciated. It’s an honor to share the stage with a partner in our recovery, Mayor Ray Nagin.
Thank you to this audience! You are here because you are committed to the revival of the Gulf Coast. Many of you represent non-profits who’ve devoted millions of man and woman-hours to the rebuilding. Over 550,000 Americans volunteered in the Gulf. Raise your hand if you’ve been involved in our recovery.
You have my deepest gratitude.
There has never been a better – or a more exciting – time to live or do business in Louisiana. Never. I’m here to give you a progress report on the strength of our recovery.
Let’s begin with emergency preparedness. This week, we saw why emergency planning must be first. Ernesto looked like he might come knocking. We prayed him away! But don’t doubt for a minute the next Ernesto is lurking. When it hits, we are more ready than we have ever been. We are prepared.
Katrina revealed that America does not fully understand the need for emergency preparedness. Preparing for a short-term disaster does not prepare you for a long-term catastrophe.
We were prepared for a disaster when Katrina hit.
We found ourselves fighting a catastrophe with limited resources and unlimited needs. Here are just a few of the many improvements we’ve acted on:
• We saw that you can’t coordinate if you can’t communicate, and we are fixing that! We’ve made interoperability a statewide priority, and we have 700 mhz radios available in advance of a storm for our first responders.
• We’re working with our nursing homes and hospitals so they will be safe. We’ve connected them to our statewide emergency alert system. We’re vetting and re-vetting nursing home evacuation plans on a regional level.
• We’ve launched an aggressive sheltering strategy. For the first time ever, the state has established three permanent state-run shelters. This will provide a safe-haven for those who cannot transport themselves out of harm’s way. There is no long-term shelter capacity in America, and we must change that! And the list goes on.
On the Anniversary of Katrina, it’s a time of prayer and remembrance as we reflect on our losses. So much good washed away. But we’re moving in only one direction and that is forward. Say it with me: We’re moving forward.
There is no better way to honor our past than to build our future.
Rome wasn’t built in a day – or a week – or even a year. Louisiana has come an eternity in a year.
We have turned the corner. I know it in my heart and I know it by the data. We’re in the greatest renewal effort this country has ever seen. We’re entering the most robust construction economy we’ve ever known. Just listen to this rundown of good news:
• All 10 of The Road Home Housing Assistance Centers are open across the state and servicing homeowners. Thank you, Secretary Jackson, for awarding us our full package of federal money in July. Beginning this week, awards started going out. We have 42 people in the pipeline for the first round of awards, and we will quickly grow this number to the thousands.
• We adopted strict new building codes and new standards. If we have properties that have flooded many times before, we’re building them back safer and higher;
• This week, we celebrated unemployment levels at an all-time low of 2.9%. The upside is that as people return, anyone who wants a job will have a job! The downside is this demonstrates how important it is to get our workforce home.
• More than 62,000 of the 81,000 businesses impacted by the storms have reopened;
• The bonding agencies gave us a hard look and agreed we are making progress. They just raised our economic outlook from negative to stable;
• In the Katrina impact area, we’ve seen almost $1 billion in new investment this past year;
• The GoZone is being put to work to retain and create jobs, to the tune of over $1.66 billion dollars in applications filed;
• All of our institutions of higher education are open for this fall semester and our displaced students are coming home;
• As of this month, 864 of the 940 schools have been reopened throughout the affected region;
• We’ve taken over the under-performing New Orleans schools so our students return to improved expectations of academic excellence;
• We are cleaning up! More than 20 million of the almost 25 million tons of debris from Katrina and Rita has been removed. That’s more that 25 times the debris of the World Trade Center.
• We are integrating a full range of services into our neighborhoods as we rebuild – I want this to include childcare and health care services. And we have launched a health care effort prioritizing prevention, primary care and access.
• Finally, we are working diligently with our local communities to leverage recovery funds to achieve their infrastructure needs. And we’re helping them cut through the Red Tape that comes with drawing down federal dollars.
This is only the beginning of a long list. The reality is that we have a long way to go. But we’ve come a million miles. Our people have rallied like never before. We’ve moved from absolute devastation to hope. Today I’m talking about progress. I’m moving us in one direction, and that is forward!
We are going to get it right. With you by our side, we will succeed. We will build the most competitive communities this nation has ever seen. And we will rebuild safer, stronger and smarter than before. Thank you.
Source: Office of the Governor |
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