Parsing Bush's Gulf Coast Promises

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In nearly all of Mississippi, electric power has been restored

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Power has been restored to Mississippi and to 92% of affected areas in Louisiana, according to Entergy Corp. However, only 32% of Louisiana customers have returned.

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Trade is starting to return to the Port of New Orleans

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The port is operating at 70% of pre-storm levels.

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Agricultural shipments are moving down the Mississippi River

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Shipping tonnage is back to normal upriver from New Orleans through the ports of South Louisiana and Greater Baton Rouge.

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All major gasoline pipelines are now in operation

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Daily U.S. oil production from the Gulf remains down about 26%. Gas production is down about 18%.

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The breaks in the levees have been closed, the pumps are running, and the water here in New Orleans is receding by the hour

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New Orleans is de-watered.

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Environmental officials are on the ground, taking water samples, identifying and dealing with hazardous debris, and working to get drinking water and waste water treatment systems operating again.

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With more than 9 million gallons of oil spilled during the storm and its aftermath, Hurricane Katrina created the nation's second largest spill after the Exxon Valdez tanker spill in Alaska. Environmental agencies say testing shows no major problems. But environmental organizations call for additional clean-up, and they report widespread contamination by a coating of petroleum products and arsenic left by receding floodwaters; toxic chemical hotspots around industrial and waste sites; and spread of pollutants through burial and incineration of mountains of debris.

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Some very sad duties are being carried out by professionals who gather the dead, treat them with respect, and prepare them for their rest

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Katrina's death toll is 1,326 killed, including 1,007 in Louisiana, the Associated Press reported; The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals reports that at St. Gabriel Morgue, 162 of 907 bodies remain unidentified (18%) and 143 are pending release to family members (16%).

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Our first commitment is to meet the immediate needs of those who had to flee their homes and leave all their possessions behind.

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FEMA has approved 1,456,706 of 2,542,677 applications for individual assistance stemming from hurricanes Katrina and Rita. That is about 57 percent. It has provided $5.7 billion directly to victims.

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The Department of Homeland Security is registering evacuees who are now in shelters and churches, or private homes, whether in the Gulf region or far away. I have signed an order providing immediate assistance to people from the disaster area.

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As of Jan. 16, 18,943 applications for rental assistance remained pending. As of Jan. 24, the Small Business Administration has processed 48 percent of 363,000 claims for disaster loans from homeowners and businesses, denying more than 70 percent so far; 190,000 applications are pending.

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We're taking steps to ensure that evacuees do not have to travel great distances or navigate bureaucracies to get the benefits that are there for them.

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Completed

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Our second commitment is to help the citizens of the Gulf Coast to overcome this disaster, put their lives back together, and rebuild their communities

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Shelters were 95 percent cleared by Oct. 16, 99 percent cleared by November. However, many families moved into hotels.

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Our goal is to get people out of the shelters by the middle of October

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Shelters were 95 percent cleared by Oct. 16, 99 percent cleared by November. However, many families moved into hotels.

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We're providing direct assistance to evacuees that allows them to rent apartments

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Nearly 700,000 households have received rental assistance, but government housing programs have been plagued by misstarts. FEMA has been forced to restate the population in hotels and in apartments because of counting errors; push back its cut-off date for hotel subsidies at least four times; and re-bid four heavily criticized, sole-source contracts for $1 billion in trailer homes.

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A number of states have taken in evacuees and shown them great compassion -- admitting children to school and providing health care. So I will work with the Congress to ensure that states are reimbursed for these extra expenses

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Washington has approved $1.6 billion for state higher and public education costs, and distributed about $300 million so far. Congress has stalled on a $2 billion health care relief package, including Medicaid assistance. States have warned they face huge bills. Texas has projected that 400,000 evacuees could cost it as much as $550 million next year, while Georgia has said 44,000 evacuees could cost $100 million if they chose to stay.

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We're beginning to bring in mobile homes and trailers for temporary use.

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After a series of contracting problems, production delays and siting battles with state and local governments, FEMA has readied 85,030 travel trailer, mobile home or ship cabin units in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, of which 74,163 are occupied as of Jan. 24. Another 17,038 units are not yet approved for occupancy. While 89 percent of the estimated housing need (43,500) is being met in Mississippi, only 37 percent of the housing need (90,000) is being met in Louisiana. It is unclear how the government will manage large encampments.

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We're also providing money that can be used to cover overtime pay for police and fire departments while the cities and towns rebuild.

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FEMA reports obligating $2.2 billion so far for Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama for state and local government emergency and infrastructure costs for hurricanes Katrina and Rita, including $1.2 billion for protective measures such as police and fire overtime. But state and local governments say they face additional lost tax revenue and operating expenses, which Louisiana alone estimates will exceed $4 billion for the state and $4 billion for local governments through 2009.

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We'll provide mobile homes, and supply them with basic services, as close to construction areas as possible, so the rebuilding process can go forward as quickly as possible.

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About 86 percent of occupied trailers in six hardest hit Mississippi counties and 80 percent of occupied trailers in Louisiana are on private home sites.

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The federal government will undertake a close partnership with the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, the city of New Orleans, and other Gulf Coast cities, so they can rebuild in a sensible, well-planned way

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Federal, state and local officials say they are cooperating, but tensions remain. Local governments say they are not receiving enough money to cover storm losses and operating costs. Louisiana officials say the federal government has not done enough to support reconstruction, such as by improving levees or supporting a proposed federal commission to buy back mortgages of storm-damaged housing.

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Federal funds will cover the great majority of the costs of repairing public infrastructure in the disaster zone, from roads and bridges to schools and water systems.

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Congress has approved $10.9 billion to pay for damage and losses to federal agriculture, defense, veterans, homeland security, transportation, space and interior facilities and agencies. Meanwhile, the Louisiana Recovery Authority has estimated the state's costs to remove debris and restore infrastructure such as roads, bridges, utilities, government facilities, schools and hospitals will be $21 billion to $26 billion, of which the state will have to pay a share. In one encouraging sign, the four-lane Interstate 10 bridge linking New Orleans and Slidell, La., over Lake Pontchartrain was reopened ahead of schedule this month.

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We'll have a team of inspectors general reviewing all expenditures.

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The administration has committed more than 300 auditors, investigators and inspectors across the government to Katrina oversight. Financial oversight depends largely on the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general staff, who are stretched thin.

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The federal government will be fully engaged in the mission, but Governor Barbour, Governor Blanco, Mayor Nagin, and other state and local leaders will have the primary role in planning for their own future

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Members of Congress say Bush administration coordinator Donald Powell needs more authority to press federal efforts. Louisiana officuals expressed great disappointment that the White House rejected a proposal by Rep. Richard H. Baker (R-La.) to set up a federal corporation to buy back mortgages of storm-damaged homes. State and local officials also say they are not receiving enough help to make up operating losses and that federal revisions to flood maps are overly restrictive.

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Communities will need to move decisively to change zoning laws and building codes, in order to avoid a repeat of what we've seen.

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The Mississippi Governor's Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal has proposed new building codes, while Louisiana's legislature passed a statewide building code in a special session last year. Local zoning will also depend on new flood zone maps being proposed by FEMA for Mississippi and Louisiana, which will determine access to federal flood insurance.

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I propose the creation of a Gulf Opportunity Zone, encompassing the region of the disaster in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama.

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Signed into law Dec. 21.

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I propose the creation of Worker Recovery Accounts to help those evacuees who need extra help finding work.

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Introduced in October, no action.

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I also propose that Congress pass an Urban Homesteading Act.

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Introduced in December, no action.

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the Army Corps of Engineers will work at their side to make the flood protection system stronger than it has ever been

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The Army Corps of Engineers has completed 16 percent of planned New Orleans repairs before a June 1 hurricane season deadline. The White House and Congress have approved $2.9 billion to restore levees to pre-Katrina designed strength, add floodgates to navigational canals and fortify earthworks with concrete and stone. However, state and local officials want the flood control system improved to withstand the strongest, Category 5 storms, at a cost some estimate may top $30 billion. The Army Corps is conducting a two-year study, with an interim report due before the end of June.

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I've asked USA Freedom Corps to create an information clearinghouse, available at usafreedomcorps.gov, so that families anywhere in the country can find opportunities to help families in the region, or a school can support a school.

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The White House volunteer initiative reports that visits to its Web site surged 280 percent last year, to 7.9 million visits, and that there were 285,000 searches for volunteer opportunities in storm-affected states. But the office has no data on how many volunteers reported.

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I've ordered the Department of Homeland Security to undertake an immediate review, in cooperation with local counterparts, of emergency plans in every major city in America

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Self-assessments from the nation's 75 largest metropolitan areas and 50 states were due Jan. 17; Department of Homeland Security and contractor teams with Titan and IEM Corp. are reviewing the assessments and will issue a report by May.

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I also want to know all the facts about the government response to Hurricane Katrina...I've ordered every Cabinet Secretary to participate in a comprehensive review of the government response to the hurricane. This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina.

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"An administration review led by White House Homeland Security Adviser Frances Townsend is expected in February. Congressional investigators have criticized the Bush administration for refusing to provide storm-related e-mails and testimony of top Bush advisers. The administration has provided private briefings and said it has made available 120 officials and 15,000 pages of documents from the executive office of the president, 240,000 pages from the Pentagon and 300,000 pages from the Homeland Security Department. "

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It is now clear that a challenge on this scale requires greater federal authority and a broader role for the armed forces -- the institution of our government most capable of massive logistical operations on a moment's notice.

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No specific proposal made

SOURCES: Ports of New Orleans, South Louisiana and Greater Baton Rouge, U.S. Minerals Management Service, FEMA, White House, Louisiana governor's office, U.S. Senate, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of Homeland Security, Small Business Administration