John Kerry on the Anniversary of Rita's Landfall

[globalvillage]

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Sunday, September 26 marks the one year anniversary of Hurricane Rita's landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border. To mark the anniversary, Senator John F. Kerry offered the following remarks:

"This Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of yet another nightmarish day for Gulf Coast residents who had just begun to dig themselves out of the worst natural disaster in America's history. Too often overshadowed by the overwhelming devastation caused by Katrina, Hurricane Rita was anything but an afterthought for thousands whose homes and businesses were leveled by this storm."

"The neighborhoods destroyed by Hurricane Rita are every bit as much in need of assistance and support as are those affected by Katrina. We have a responsibility to get resources into the hands of the homeowners and business owners who are fighting to revive their local economies and repair their broken lives."

"So why has the Bush Administration been so slow to react? Of the $885 million in federal disaster loans that have been approved for Rita victims in Texas and Louisiana, just $235 million-less than 30 percent-has actually reached the victims. Meanwhile, towns are drying up, and people are losing hope."

"President Bush marked the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by telling New Orleans that 'a one year anniversary is just that'- that the recovery effort would take far longer than a year to get the city back on its feet. This is just another excuse from a President who failed to put policies in place that could have gotten the Gulf Coast back on its feet in 2006. As the anniversary of Hurricane Rita again reminds us of the devastation left behind by these storms, the Gulf Coast deserves more than another Presidential photo op. Today, President Bush needs to be reminded that beyond the flashing cameras, there are thousands of Gulf Coast victims waiting for the help they were promised."