Aug
26,2006
Good
morning.
Earlier this week, I
had coffee with Rockey Vaccarella in the White House. Rockey is
from Saint Bernard Parish in Louisiana, and he and his family lost
everything they owned to Hurricane Katrina. Rockey drove to
Washington to thank the federal government for its efforts to help
people like him. And he brought a trailer along to help remind us
that many good people along our Gulf Coast are still living in
difficult conditions, and that the hard work of rebuilding has only
just begun.
This Tuesday marks
the first anniversary of Katrina -- one of the deadliest and most
costly natural disasters in American history. In Mississippi, the
storm wiped out virtually everything along an 80-mile stretch of
the coast, flattening homes and destroying entire communities. In
Louisiana, flooding left 80 percent of the city of New Orleans
underwater. The human costs were even more terrible. More than a
thousand people died, countless families lost their homes and
livelihoods, and tens of thousands of men, women, and children were
forced to flee the region and leave behind everything they
knew.
During the storm and
in the days that followed, Americans responded with heroism and
compassion. Coast Guard and other personnel rescued people stranded
in flooded neighborhoods and brought them to high ground. Doctors
and nurses stayed behind to care for their patients, and some even
went without food so their patients could eat. Many of the
first-responders risking their lives to help others were victims
themselves -- wounded healers, with a sense of duty greater than
their own suffering. And across our great land, the armies of
compassion rallied to bring food and water and hope to fellow
citizens who had lost everything. In these and countless other
selfless acts, we saw the spirit of America at its best.
Unfortunately,
Katrina also revealed that federal, state, and local governments
were unprepared to respond to such an extraordinary disaster. And
the floodwaters exposed a deep-seated poverty that has cut people
off from the opportunities of our country. So last year I made a
simple pledge: The federal government would learn the lessons of
Katrina, we would do what it takes, and we would stay as long as it
takes, to help our brothers and sisters build a new Gulf Coast
where every citizen feels part of the great promise of
America.
That was the same
pledge I repeated to Rockey during his visit to the White House.
This pledge meant stronger levees and rebuilt homes and new
infrastructure. It also means safe streets and neighborhoods filled
with locally owned businesses, and more opportunities for
everyone.
Next week, Laura and
I will return to Mississippi and New Orleans to meet with local
citizens and officials, and review the progress we have made. The
federal government has conducted a thoroughreview of its response
to natural disasters, and we're making reforms that will improve
our response to future emergencies. With help from Congress, we
have committed $110 billion to the recovery effort, and we are
playing a vital role in helping people clear debris, repair and
rebuild their homes, reopen their businesses and schools, and put
their lives back together.
The federal
government will continue to do its part -- yet a re-born Gulf Coast
must reflect the needs, the vision, and the aspirations of the
people of Mississippi and Louisiana. And their state and local
officials have a responsibility to help set priorities and make
tough decisions, so people can plan their futures with
confidence.
One year after the
storms, the Gulf Coast continues down the long road to recovery. In
Mississippi and Louisiana, we can see many encouraging signs of
recovery and renewal, and many reminders that hard work still lies
ahead. This work will require the sustained
commitment of our government, the generosity and compassion of the
American people, and the talent and vision of people determined to
restore their homes, neighborhoods, and cities. We will stay until
the job is done, and by working together, we will help our fellow
citizens along the Gulf Coast write a new future of hope, justice,
and opportunity for all.
Thank you for
listening.
原文地址：http://www./fun/lecture/2006-10-31/55322.html
26,2006
Good
morning.
Earlier this week, I
had coffee with Rockey Vaccarella in the White House. Rockey is
from Saint Bernard Parish in Louisiana, and he and his family lost
everything they owned to Hurricane Katrina. Rockey drove to
Washington to thank the federal government for its efforts to help
people like him. And he brought a trailer along to help remind us
that many good people along our Gulf Coast are still living in
difficult conditions, and that the hard work of rebuilding has only
just begun.
This Tuesday marks
the first anniversary of Katrina -- one of the deadliest and most
costly natural disasters in American history. In Mississippi, the
storm wiped out virtually everything along an 80-mile stretch of
the coast, flattening homes and destroying entire communities. In
Louisiana, flooding left 80 percent of the city of New Orleans
underwater. The human costs were even more terrible. More than a
thousand people died, countless families lost their homes and
livelihoods, and tens of thousands of men, women, and children were
forced to flee the region and leave behind everything they
knew.
During the storm and
in the days that followed, Americans responded with heroism and
compassion. Coast Guard and other personnel rescued people stranded
in flooded neighborhoods and brought them to high ground. Doctors
and nurses stayed behind to care for their patients, and some even
went without food so their patients could eat. Many of the
first-responders risking their lives to help others were victims
themselves -- wounded healers, with a sense of duty greater than
their own suffering. And across our great land, the armies of
compassion rallied to bring food and water and hope to fellow
citizens who had lost everything. In these and countless other
selfless acts, we saw the spirit of America at its best.
Unfortunately,
Katrina also revealed that federal, state, and local governments
were unprepared to respond to such an extraordinary disaster. And
the floodwaters exposed a deep-seated poverty that has cut people
off from the opportunities of our country. So last year I made a
simple pledge: The federal government would learn the lessons of
Katrina, we would do what it takes, and we would stay as long as it
takes, to help our brothers and sisters build a new Gulf Coast
where every citizen feels part of the great promise of
America.
That was the same
pledge I repeated to Rockey during his visit to the White House.
This pledge meant stronger levees and rebuilt homes and new
infrastructure. It also means safe streets and neighborhoods filled
with locally owned businesses, and more opportunities for
everyone.
Next week, Laura and
I will return to Mississippi and New Orleans to meet with local
citizens and officials, and review the progress we have made. The
federal government has conducted a thoroughreview of its response
to natural disasters, and we're making reforms that will improve
our response to future emergencies. With help from Congress, we
have committed $110 billion to the recovery effort, and we are
playing a vital role in helping people clear debris, repair and
rebuild their homes, reopen their businesses and schools, and put
their lives back together.
The federal
government will continue to do its part -- yet a re-born Gulf Coast
must reflect the needs, the vision, and the aspirations of the
people of Mississippi and Louisiana. And their state and local
officials have a responsibility to help set priorities and make
tough decisions, so people can plan their futures with
confidence.
One year after the
storms, the Gulf Coast continues down the long road to recovery. In
Mississippi and Louisiana, we can see many encouraging signs of
recovery and renewal, and many reminders that hard work still lies
ahead. This work will require the sustained
commitment of our government, the generosity and compassion of the
American people, and the talent and vision of people determined to
restore their homes, neighborhoods, and cities. We will stay until
the job is done, and by working together, we will help our fellow
citizens along the Gulf Coast write a new future of hope, justice,
and opportunity for all.
Thank you for
listening.
原文地址：http://www./fun/lecture/2006-10-31/55322.html
- federal [´fedərəl]
a.联邦的，联邦制的 (初中英语单词) - remind [ri´maind] vt.提醒；使记(想)起 (初中英语单词)
- mississippi [,misi´sipi] n.密西西比(河) (初中英语单词)
- suffering [´sʌfəriŋ] n.痛苦；灾害 (初中英语单词)
- respond [ri´spɔnd] v.回答；响应；有反应 (初中英语单词)
- extraordinary [ik´strɔ:dinəri] a.非常的；额外的 (初中英语单词)
- disaster [di´zɑ:stə] n.灾难，不幸 (初中英语单词)
- poverty [´pɔvəti] n.贫穷(乏，瘠)；不足 (初中英语单词)
- pledge [pledʒ] n.信物；誓约vt.使发誓 (初中英语单词)
- review [ri´vju:] v.&n.复习；回顾；检查 (初中英语单词)
- repair [ri´peə] v.&n.修理，修补 (初中英语单词)
- reflect [ri´flekt] v.反射；反响；表达 (初中英语单词)
- vision [´viʒən] n.视觉；想象力；幻影 (初中英语单词)
- responsibility [ri,spɔnsə´biliti] n.责任(心)；职责；任务 (初中英语单词)
- talent [´tælənt] n.天才；才干；天资 (初中英语单词)
- working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)
- parish [´pæriʃ] n.教区(的全体居民) (高中英语单词)
- countless [´kauntlis] a.无数的 (高中英语单词)
- repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
- thorough [´θʌrə] a.彻底的；详尽的 (高中英语单词)
- response [ri´spɔns] n.回答；响应 (高中英语单词)
- billion [´biljən] num.万亿 (高中英语单词)
- recovery [ri´kʌvəri] n.重获；获得；恢复 (高中英语单词)
- generosity [,dʒenə´rɔsiti] n.慷慨；慷慨的行为 (高中英语单词)
- louisiana [lu(:),izi´ænə] n.路易斯安那州 (英语四级单词)
- hurricane [´hʌrikən] n.飓风 (英语四级单词)
- anniversary [,æni´və:səri] n.周年纪念(日) (英语四级单词)
- virtually [´və:tʃuəli] ad.实际上，实质上 (英语四级单词)
- orleans [ɔ:´liənz] n.奥尔良 (英语四级单词)
- compassion [kəm´pæʃən] n.同情；怜悯 (英语四级单词)
- trailer [´treilə] n.拖车；跟踪者 (英语六级单词)
- heroism [´herəuizəm] n.英勇；英雄主义 (英语六级单词)
- personnel [,pə:sə´nel] n人事(部门)；全体人员 (英语六级单词)
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