Remarks by the President During Tour of Tornado Devastation

Alberta, Alabama

10:46 A.M. CDT
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, Michelle and I want to express, first of all, our deepest condolences to not just the city of Tuscaloosa but the state of Alabama and all the other states that have been affected by this unbelievable storm.  We just took a tour, and I’ve got to say I’ve never seen devastation like this.  It is heartbreaking.  We were just talking to some residents here who were lucky enough to escape alive, but have lost everything.  They mentioned that their neighbors had lost two of their grandchildren in the process.
 
     What you’re seeing here is the consequence of just a few minutes of this extraordinarily powerful storm sweeping through this community.  And as the governor was mentioning, Tuscaloosa typically gets a tornado during the season, but this is something that I don’t think anybody has seen before.
 
     In addition to keeping all the families who’ve been affected in our thoughts and prayers, obviously our biggest priority now is to help this community recover.  I want to thank Mayor Maddox for his extraordinary leadership.  Chief Burgess (ph) I know is having to dealing with a lot of difficulties.  One of the challenges that the mayor was explaining is, is that the assets of the city -- a fire station that we passed on the way in, police resources, emergency resources -- those too have been affected.
    
     Fortunately the governor has done an extraordinary job with his team in making sure that the resources of the state are mobilized and have been brought in here.  I’m very pleased that we’ve got a FEMA director in Craig Fugate who is as experienced as anybody in responding to disasters even of this magnitude.  And we’ve already provided the disaster designations -- we’ve already provided the disaster designations that are required to make sure that the maximum federal help comes here as quickly as possible.
 
Craig is working with the teams on the ground to make sure that we are seamlessly coordinating between the state, local and federal governments.  And I want to just make a commitment to the communities here that we are going to do everything we can to help these communities rebuild.
 
     We can’t bring those who have been lost back.  They’re alongside God at this point.  We can help maybe a little bit with the families dealing with the grief of having a loved one lost.  But the property damage, which is obviously extensive, that's something that we can do something about.
 
And so we’re going to do everything we can to partner with you, Mr. Mayor, with you, governor.  As the governor was pointing out, this community was hit as bad as any place, but there are communities all across Alabama and all across this region that have been affected, and we’re going to be making that same commitment to make sure that we’re doing whatever we can to make sure that people are okay.
 
That bee likes you.  (Laughter.)
 
     GOVERNOR BENTLEY:  It’s a wasp.
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Okay, got it.  There you go.
 
     GOVERNOR BENTLEY:  No, he got him away.  You didn’t get him.
 
     MAYOR MADDOX:  Where’s the Secret Service when you need them?  (Laughter.)
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Finally, let me just say this.  As you walk around, we were just talking to three young people over there -- college students here at the University of Alabama who are volunteering now to help clean up.  One of the young ladies there, she actually lived in this apartment; wasn’t here at the time the storm happened.
 
     What you’re struck by is people’s resilience and the way that the community has come together.  And obviously that's testimony to the leadership of the governor and the mayor, but it’s also inherent as part of the American spirit.  We go through hard times, but no matter how hard we may be tested, we maintain our faith and we look to each other to make sure that we’re supporting each other and helping each other.  I’m sure that that spirit is going to continue until this city is all the way back.
 
     So, Mr. Mayor -- he was pointing out that there’s a lot of national media down here now, and the mayor expressed the concern that perhaps the media will move on in a day or a week or a month, and that folks will forget what’s happened here.  And I want to assure him that the American people all across the country are with him and his community, and we’re going to make sure that you’re not forgotten and that we do everything we can to make sure that we rebuild.
 
     So with that, Governor, would you like to say a few words?
 
     GOVERNOR BENTLEY:  I would.  And, Mr. President, I would like to personally thank you and Mrs. Obama for coming and visiting Alabama because you know as you fly over this -- and I did yesterday -- as you fly over it from the air, it does not do it justice until you’re here on the ground.  And I just want you to know how much I appreciate that.
 
     We asked for -- we’ve mobilized the state.  We declared a state of emergency early on, even before the first tornadoes hit, and then we mobilized our National Guard the first day.  We then asked the President for aid and we asked him to expedite that, and they have done that.  And I just want you to know how much I appreciate that, Mr. President, because all these people appreciate that so much.
 
     We have eight counties across the state that have been hit by major tornadoes.  This probably is the worst one, but we have others.  As you go across the state, you see the same evidence of tornadoes all across the state.
 
And so there are people that are hurting.  We have now 210 confirmed deaths in Alabama.  We have 1,700 injured.  We have a number of people missing at the present time.  We’re going to continue to work in a rescue-type mode, but we’re now more in a recovery mode.
 
     Thank you, Mr. President.  (Laughter.)  If you’ll keep him off of me --
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  I’m going to keep my eye on you.  We’re looking out for each other.   That's --
 
     GOVERNOR BENTLEY:  Yes, sir.  Yes, sir.  (Laughter.)
 
     But I am -- let me say I am so proud of our first responders in this state.  They have done an outstanding job.  Our mayors, our county commissioners, our police, our firemen -- they have all just done a fantastic job.  Our EMA people, they have just -- we have got a great team.  They’ve all worked together.  And now we have the federal government helping us.  And, you know, that just shows when locals and state and federal government works together, we can get things accomplished, and that's what we’re going to do.
 
     And so, Mr. President, welcome to Alabama, but not under these circumstances.  We want you to come back and maybe go to a football game over here at a later day and when things are better.  But thank you for your help.
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  I will gladly come back.
 
     GOVERNOR BENTLEY:  Thank you, sir.
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Mr. Mayor, if you’d like to say a few words.
 
     MAYOR MADDOX:  Mr. President, Governor, Mrs. Obama, thank you for coming today.  The last 36 hours have been probably the most trying time in this community’s history.  But you’re going to see a new story being written here in Tuscaloosa.  And in the years to come these chapters are going to be fueled with hope and opportunity.
 
     Since this tragedy began, I’ve been using Romans 12:12 when Paul wrote under persecution, “Rejoice in our confident hope.”  Well, today, Mr. President, your visit here has brought a confident hope to this community.  And in the days, weeks and months to come, we’re going to be a story that you’re going to be very proud of and you can talk about across this land.
 
     Thank you again for coming today.
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, thank you for your leadership.  And two last points I want to make.  First of all, we’ve got our congressional delegation here, and I am absolutely confident that they will make sure that the resources are available to help rebuild.
 
     To all the local officials who are here, I know that they’ve been personally affected, but I know that they’re going to provide the leadership in this community, working with the mayor and the governor to do what is needed.
 
     And finally, I think the mayor said something very profound as we were driving over here.  He said, what's amazing is when something like this happens, folks forget all their petty differences.  Politics, differences of religion or race, all that fades away when we are confronted with the awesome power of nature.  And we’re reminded that all we have is each other.
 
     And so hopefully that spirit continues and grows.  If nothing else comes out of this tragedy, let’s hope that that's one of the things that comes out.
 
     So thank you very much, everybody.

END
10:56 A.M. CDT

Fact Sheet: Executive Order, Syria Human Rights Abuses

Today, President Obama signed an Executive Order imposing sanctions against Syrian officials and others responsible for human rights abuses, including through the use of violence against civilians and the commission of other human rights abuses.
 
This Order provides the United States with new tools to target individuals and entities determined to have engaged in human rights abuses in Syria, including those related to repression; to be a senior official of an entity whose property is blocked pursuant to the Order; to have provided material support to, or to be owned or controlled by, persons blocked under the Order.   
 
The United States strongly condemns the Syrian government’s continued use of violence and intimidation against the Syrian people.  We call upon the Syrian regime and its supporters to refrain from further acts of violence and other human rights abuses against Syrian citizens seeking to express their political aspirations.
 
In signing today’s Order, the President imposed sanctions on the following individuals and entities listed in the Annex to the Order:
 
·         Mahir al-Asad:  The brother of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad and brigade commander in the Syrian Army’s 4th Armored Division, who has played a leading role in the Syrian regime’s actions in Dar’a, where protesters have been killed by Syrian security forces.
 
·         Atif Najib:  A cousin of Syrian President Bashar al-Asad, Najib was the head of the Political Security Directorate (PSD) for Dar’a Province during March 2011, when protesters were killed there by Syrian security forces.
 
·         Ali Mamluk: director of Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate (GID).
 
·         Syrian General Intelligence Directorate (GID):  The overarching civilian intelligence service in Syria.  The GID represses internal dissent and monitors individual citizens, and has been involved in the Syrian regime’s actions in Dar’a where protesters were killed by Syrian security services.
 
·         Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF):  Iran is providing material support to the Syrian government related to cracking down on unrest in Syria.  The conduit for this Iranian material support to the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate is the IRGC-QF.  Despite the Government of Iran’s public rhetoric claiming revolutionary solidarity with people throughout the region, Iran’s actions in support of the Syrian regime place it in stark opposition to the will of the Syrian people.  The IRGC-QF is a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is considered the military vanguard of Iran.  The IRGC-QF was designated by the Treasury Department in October 2007 for providing material support to terrorist groups around the world, including the Taliban, Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command.
 
As a result of this action, any property in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons in which the individuals listed in the Annex have an interest is blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

Executive Order 13572 --Blocking Property of Certain Persons with Respect to Human Rights Abuses in Syria

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, hereby expand the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, and relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13399 of April 25, 2006, and in Executive Order 13460 of February 13, 2008, finding that the Government of Syria's human rights abuses, including those related to the repression of the people of Syria, manifested most recently by the use of violence and torture against, and arbitrary arrests and detentions of, peaceful protestors by police, security forces, and other entities that have engaged in human rights abuses, constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, and I hereby order:

Section 1.  All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person, including any overseas branch, of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in:

(a)  the persons listed in the Annex to this order; and

(b)  any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:

(i)    to be responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, or to have participated in, the commission of human rights abuses in Syria, including those related to repression;

(ii)   to be a senior official of an entity whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order;

(iii)  to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, the activities described in subsection (b)(i) of this section or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13338, Executive Order 13460, or this order; or

(iv)   to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13460 or this order.

Sec. 2.  I hereby determine that the making of donations of the type of articles specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to section 1 of this order would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338 and expanded in this order, and I hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this order.

Sec. 3.  The prohibitions in section 1 of this order include but are not limited to:

(a)  the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; and

(b)  the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

Sec. 4.  The prohibitions in section 1 of this order apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the effective date of this order.

Sec. 5.  (a)  Any transaction by a United States person or within the United States that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

(b)  Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

Sec. 6.  For the purposes of this order:

(a)  the term "person" means an individual or entity;

(b)  the term "entity" means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization;

(c)  the term "United States person" means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States; and

(d)  the term "Government of Syria" means the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, its agencies, instrumentalities, and controlled entities.

Sec. 7.  For those persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States, I find that because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render those measures ineffectual.  I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13338 and expanded in this order, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to section 1 of this order.

Sec. 8.  The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this order.  The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government consistent with applicable law.  All agencies of the United States Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within their authority to carry out the provisions of this order.

Sec. 9.  The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to determine that circumstances no longer warrant the blocking of the property and interests in property of a person listed in the Annex to this order, and to take necessary action to give effect to that determination.

Sec. 10.  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

Sec. 11.  This order is effective at 1:00 p.m. eastern daylight time on April 29, 2011.

                     BARACK OBAMA

THE WHITE HOUSE,
April 29, 2011.
 

ANNEX

Individuals

1.    Mahir AL-ASAD  [Brigade Commander in the Syrian Army’s Fourth Armored Division, born 1968]

2.    Ali MAMLUK  [director of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate, born 1947]

3.    Atif NAJIB  [former head of the Syrian Political Security Directorate for Dar’a Province]

Entities

1.    Syrian General Intelligence Directorate

2.    Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force