Sept 12, 2005

Residents from across the state have followed the dramatic rescue and recovery efforts taking place in the Gulf Coast, and by now it seems clear that Hurricane Katrina will be remembered as one of the most damaging natural disasters in U.S. history. For many Nebraskans, the need to reach out and offer help has been overwhelming, and as a result we continue to receive countless offers of aid for storm victims.

Our efforts at the state and local level have involved coordination with groups ranging from relief agencies to faith-based organizations. In the days that followed, Nebraska worked to respond to requests for aid, sending more than 165 Nebraska National Guard members to assist with rescue and recovery efforts, 66,000 military meals ready to eat, as well as fuel and two medical helicopters used to transport patients to hospitals in surrounding communities and states.

I signed several executive orders which helped eliminate hurdles that had the potential to delay shipments of food, fuel and other emergency supplies to the storm-damaged region. Emergency cargo has been able to travel through Nebraska more quickly as a result, and commercial carriers that are typically restricted to Nebraska roadways have been allowed to leave the state to aid in storm-relief efforts. Given that Nebraska is a transportation hub for the nation, these are the kind of regulations it was important to relax in order to speed the delivery of much-needed supplies in an emergency situation.

I have also instructed every state agency to work to anticipate the needs of evacuees, whether they arrive by a bus or commercial plane sent by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), or travel here to be with family or friends. Several school districts and Nebraska colleges were quick to enroll students who needed a place to continue their studies, and for those students the state has relaxed requirements for providing immunization records and will work with individual students and families in the coming weeks to update student records.

FEMA has requested help in providing temporary shelters for evacuees facing overcrowded conditions, and we have coordinated with local officials and The American Red Cross to prepare a pair of shelters that can be ready to receive evacuees in Lincoln and Omaha with just an hour’s notice.

Omaha’s Civic Auditorium is prepared to house as many as 500 people, with St. Mark’s Methodist Church in Lincoln ready to take in an additional 200 residents if need be. And I want to say thank you to the many communities that stepped up to offer space for make-shift shelters in recent days.

To all who might come to our state, I want to say a heartfelt welcome. Given the outpouring of support, concern and offers of help from Nebraskans, I am confident you will find compassion and new opportunities during your stay in Nebraska. More information is available online at http://www.nebraska.gov to help answer questions and provide links for those interested in donating to the ongoing relief effort.

As we prepare for the possibility of welcoming Gulf Coast evacuees to our state, we also observe Patriot Day and mark the fourth anniversary of September 11th. While our nation is faced with different challenges this year, we are once again compelled to reach out and offer our love and support to fellow citizens in need.

We will never forget the images and the destruction that’s been wrought in some of our nation’s most beloved cities in recent years, and just as the people of Washington and New York City have begun to rebuild and recover from the attacks of four years ago, so to will the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast be successful as they look to begin rebuilding their lives.