Aug. 29, 2005
Bush Pledges Help For Victims
Urges Evacuees To Stay Safe While Agencies Prepare For Recovery
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Play CBS Video Video FEMA's Katrina Plan Mike Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, spoke to The Early Show's Harry Smith about how the government will help Gulf Coast areas hit by Hurricane Katrina.
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Video New Orleans Takes Powerful Hit A city famous for close calls took a hard punch from Katrina, which left a trail of destruction but not to the extent some had feared. John Roberts reports from New Orleans.
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Video Katrina Hits Miss. Hardest For eight long hours, hurricane force winds and relentless rains pounded at the Mississippi Gulf Coast like nothing the area has seen in a generation. Jim Acosta reports from Biloxi, Miss.
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President Bush pledged extensive support for victims of Hurricane Katrina during a meeting in Mirage, Az. about prescription drug benefits for Medicare recipients. (AP)
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Members of the National Guard hand out ready-to-eat meals to some of the thousands of evacuees taking shelter at New Orleans' Superdome. (AP)
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Interactive Storm Tracker Follow all the storms of the 2009 season with satellite images, warnings and wind speed charts.
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Interactive Katrina Hits Florida Hurricane Katrina socked the densely-populated South Florida coast.
"When the storm passes, the federal government has got assets and resources that we'll be deploying to help you. In the meantime, America will pray — pray for the health and safety of all our citizens," Mr. Bush said in remarks directed at storm victims. He made the comments during a previously scheduled speech on Medicare at an RV resort here.
"Our Gulf Coast is getting hit and hit hard," Mr. Bush said. "I urge the citizens there in the region to continue to listen to the local authorities. Don't abandon your shelters until you're given clearance by the local authorities. Take precautions because this is a dangerous storm."
Mr. Bush also was considering releasing oil from petroleum reserves to help refiners, administration officials said.
As the storm surged ashore just east of New Orleans on Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had medical teams, rescue squads and groups prepared to supply food and water poised in a semicircle around the city.
"I was impressed with the evacuation. Once it was ordered it was very smooth," FEMA Director Michael Brown said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. With the storm moving north, Brown said he expected to see flooding in Tennessee and the Ohio Valley.
Brown also told CBS News' The Early Show that the government is preparing supplies and response teams to move wherever Gulf state inhabitants need them once the weather allows.
"The men and women here are ready to respond anywhere and everywhere," Brown told Harry Smith. "As President Bush outlined the logistics and everything we were doing, he made the note he was very impressed with what we're doing. We're ready to respond to everything the governors might need."
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©MMV, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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