Bush calls for greater federal, military role in emergency response

Saying that government agencies at all levels were "overwhelmed" by Hurricane Katrina, President Bush Thursday night called for an expansion of the federal role in large-scale disaster response efforts, and greater use of military forces in particular.

At the same time, Bush said that state and local governments would play the "primary role" in planning for the reconstruction of storm-ravaged areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, with the federal government acting only in a supporting capacity.

In a televised address to the nation from New Orleans, Bush said that in the initial response to Katrina, "many of the men and women of the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States military, the National Guard, Homeland Security, and state and local governments performed skillfully under the worst conditions. Yet the system, at every level of government, was not well coordinated, and was overwhelmed in the first few days."

"It is now clear," Bush added, "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."

With respect to the failures of the initial response, the president said he was "responsible for the problem, and for the solution." Bush said every Cabinet department would participate in a comprehensive assessment of the response effort, and announced that he had ordered Homeland Security officials to undertake an immediate review, in cooperation with local governments, of the emergency plans of every major American city.

"We are going to review every action and make necessary changes, so that we are better prepared for any challenge of nature, or act of evil men, that could threaten our people," Bush said.

Bush unveiled three specific proposals in the address:

• Creating a Gulf Opportunity Zone, with immediate tax breaks and other incentives for job-creating investment.
• Setting up Worker Recovery Accounts of up to $5,000 that evacuees from the regions affected by the storm could draw on for job training and child care expenses.
• Passing an Urban Homesteading Act to identify property in the region owned by the federal government, and provide building sites on it to low-income citizens free of charge, through a lottery.

"While the president did not address it in this speech, I believe he will appoint a federal coordinator to oversee all aspects of the federal government's response," said Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. "There will be many agencies and billions of dollars involved in this effort. It simply makes sense to have a single individual who will be accountable to the President, the Congress and the public for the cleanup, reconstruction and appropriate use of taxpayer funds."