Gov. Kathleen Blanco called a special joint session of the state legislature to announce that she accepts full responsibility for mistakes made by the state government during the much-criticized relief effort in the days following Hurricane Katrina.
“We all know there were failures at every level of the government: state, federal and local. At the state level, we must take a careful look at what went wrong and make sure it never happens again,” Blanco told legislators during her 30-minute speech. “The buck stops here … and as your governor, I take full responsibility.”
Her announcement came one day after President George W. Bush announced he took full responsibility for mistakes made by the federal government during a press conference at the White House.
Blanco said that for the parts of southeastern Louisiana ravaged by Katrina to be rebuilt, the state needs cooperation from all levels of the government.
“We must rebuild our communities stronger than before,” Blanco said.
Blanco stressed jobs as the most important incentive for persuading the more than one million residents who have evacuated to return to Louisiana after seeking refuge in other states.
“We can’t rebuild our communities without jobs for the people in them,” she said. “A breadwinner earning a paycheck can afford to bring his family back home.”
Blanco said she had spoken to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and asked it to give its highest priority to Louisiana’s businesses and workers to ensure an economic rebound.
Blanco told the legislature that she was personally committed to rebuilding New Orleans, in spite of comments House Speaker Dennis Hastert made Sept 2.
Hastert said it did not make sense to rebuild a city that sits seven feet below sea level.
The Republican said, “It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed.”
Amid frenzied criticism from Louisiana public officials, he later apologized for those comments and said he was committed to rebuilding New Orleans.
“To anyone who even suggests that this great city should not be rebuilt; hear this and hear it well: We will rebuild,” Blanco said as legislators leapt to their feet for a standing ovation.
Blanco compared the need to rebuild New Orleans to other disasters that left prominent American cities in ruins.
“Americans rebuilt Washington after the British burned it to the ground, we rebuilt Chicago after the fire, we rebuilt San Francisco after the earthquake, and we are rebuilding New York City after 9/11,” she said. “We will rebuild New Orleans and the surrounding parishes, because that is what Americans do.”
Blanco paused for a moment to compose herself before calling members of the relief effort heroes – including police officers, firefighters, health care professionals and members of the military – some of whom attended the special session.
“They were joined by an unprecedented brigade of ordinary citizens who drove a fleet of school buses we commandeered, steered hundreds of private boats down flooded streets and toiled without pause to rescue at least 70,000 people,” she said.
Legislators gave a resounding standing ovation to the efforts of rescuers.
Contact Jeff Jeffrey at [email protected]