The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 03, 2012

President Obama Signs Utah Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Utah and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by a severe storm and flooding on September 11, 2012.

Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storm and flooding in Washington County.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Gary R. Stanley as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FEMA said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION MEDIA SHOULD CONTACT:  FEMA NEWS DESK AT (202) 646-3272 OR FEMA-NEWS-DESK@DHS.GOV

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 03, 2012

Readout of President's Briefing on Response and Recovery Efforts to Hurricane Sandy

This morning, the President convened a briefing at that National Response Coordination Center at FEMA headquarters to receive the latest update on federal efforts to support state and local response and recovery activities. At FEMA, the President was joined by Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, SBA Administrator Karen Mills, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Winnefeld as well as Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Mastromonaco, Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security Richard Reed, and other senior members of the President’s team. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and USNORTHCOM Commander General Jacoby joined the briefing by phone.

On the call the President received an update from the National Weather Service, including a forecast on a coastal low pressure system that could be moving into the area in coming days, and spoke directly with a number of state and local officials, who also joined by phone, including Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, as well as  Borough President’s and mayors from across the affected area. This conversation provided the President and his team another opportunity to discuss specific challenges with state and local leaders, including issues related to power generation, fuel challenges, and long term housing needs among others.

The President made clear that his Administration would continue to use all available resources to support the deployment of necessary assets, and directed his team to continue to focus on identifying and removing any barriers to the movement of these resources. On Thursday, following a conversation between the President and utility executives, the Department of Defense airlifted utility resources, including bucket trucks and other assets, from California to New York to support power restoration efforts. Yesterday, FEMA announced that the President directed the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to purchase up to 12 million gallons of unleaded fuel and up to 10 million gallons of diesel fuel for distribution in areas impacted by the storm to supplement ongoing private sector efforts.  This purchase will be transported by tanker trucks and distributed throughout New York, New Jersey and other communities impacted by the storm. This announcement followed a decision earlier in the day to provide a temporary blanket waiver to the Jones Act, to ensure tankers could move oil and refined gas to the New York area as quickly as possible. On today’s call, following a discussion of additional resources available to individuals impacted by the storm, the President also directed SBA Administrator Karen Mills to brief local officials directly on the low-cost loans available through the FEMA Disaster Declarations provided to eligible families.

The President thanked the state and local officials on the call for their hard work, and specifically praised the heroic efforts of the first responders still on the front lines, and told his team that continuing to surge all available resources was the administration’s top priority. The President closed by making clear he expected no letup in these efforts.

A full list of Administration travel taking place to affected areas today can be found below:

Today, following the briefing Administration officials will visit storm-damaged communities throughout the affected region, see response efforts first hand, and make sure that necessary resources are getting to state and local partners who are still responding and beginning recovery efforts. Secretary Donovan will visit public housing developments in the Rockaways and tour Breezy Point, New York, to hear from state and local officials and see first-hand the damage and recovery efforts there. Secretary Sebelius will visit with hospital workers, residents impacted by the storm, and local officials in Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York. Administrator Mills will join Governor Malloy and other state and local officials in Norwalk and Bridgeport, Connecticut, to meet with small business owners and other residents affected by the storm. Secretary Napolitano will travel to West Virginia and Long Island, New York to see response and recovery efforts underway. And Assistant to the President for Homeland Security John Brennan will join officials from FEMA, the Department of Transportation, and the Army Corps of Engineers to view impacted areas in Hoboken, Newark, and Jersey City, New Jersey, as well as Staten Island, New York.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 03, 2012

Weekly Address: Recovering and Rebuilding After the Storm

WASHINGTON, DC—In this week’s address, President Obama thanked the brave first responders and National Guardsmen for their tireless work through one of the worst storms in our nation’s history, and reassured the millions of Americans affected by Sandy that our country will be there for them as we work towards recovery.  The President and his team continue to work with state and local partners to make sure that all available resources continue to be made available to support ongoing response and recovery. Already thousands of FEMA personnel and over ten thousand National Guardsmen are deployed in affected states to support the Governors and their teams. At the President’s direction, agencies are moving assets as quickly as possible, ensuring red tape is not standing in the way of making sure state and local responders have the federal resources they need. Now it is time for all Americans to join together so that we can recover, rebuild, and come back stronger than before.

The audio of the address and video of the address will be available online at www.whitehouse.gov at 6:00 a.m. ET, Saturday, November 3, 2012.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
November 3, 2012

This weekend, millions of our fellow Americans are still picking up the pieces from one of the worst storms in our history.  

I toured New Jersey on Wednesday with Governor Christie, and witnessed some of the terrible devastation firsthand.  It’s heartbreaking.  Families have lost loved ones.  Entire communities have been wiped away.  Even some of the first responders who repeatedly put themselves in harm’s way to bravely save the lives of others have suffered losses of their own.

Today, I ask everyone to keep them in your prayers.  And as President, I promise them this: your country will be there for you for as long as it takes to recover and rebuild.

Throughout the week, I’ve been in constant contact with governors and mayors in the affected areas, who are doing an excellent job in extraordinarily difficult circumstances.  And we owe the first responders and National Guardsmen who have been working around the clock our deepest gratitude.

Our number one concern has been making sure that affected states and communities have everything they need to respond to and recover from this storm. 

From the earliest hours, I ordered that resources be made available to states in the path of the storm as soon as they needed them.  And I instructed my team not to let red tape and bureaucracy get in the way of solving problems – especially when it came to making sure local utilities could restore power as quickly as possible. 

Before the storm hit, FEMA pre-staged emergency response teams from North Carolina to Maine, and deployed resources like food, water, and generators up and down the coast.  As the storm passed, thousands of FEMA personnel were on the ground responding to those in need.  And by midweek, the Department of Defense was ready to fly in cargo planes that could be loaded with trucks and equipment to help local power companies get up and running faster.

But recovery will be a long, hard road for many communities.  There’s a lot of work ahead.

If you’ve been directly impacted by this storm and need temporary assistance getting back on your feet, you can call 1-800-621-FEMA, or apply at DisasterAssistance.gov.  If you know folks who are still without power, please spread the word and let them know. 

And if you don’t live in an affected area and want to help, supporting the Red Cross is the best and fastest way. 

This week, we have been humbled by nature’s destructive power.  But we’ve been inspired as well.  For when the storm was darkest, the heroism of our fellow citizens shone brightest. 

The nurses and doctors at NYU Medical Center who evacuated fragile newborns, carrying some down several flights of stairs. 

The firefighters in Queens who battled an inferno from flooded streets, and rescued people from an apartment building by boat. 

The Coast Guard crews from North Carolina who saved a sinking ship in stormy seas – and their rescue swimmer who, when he reached those in need, said, “I’m Dan, and I hear you guys need a ride.” 

That’s who we are.  We’re Americans.  When times are tough, we’re tougher.  We put others first.  We go that extra mile.  We open our hearts and our homes to one another, as one American family.  We recover, we rebuild, we come back stronger – and together we will do that once more.  Thanks, God bless you, and God bless America.

 

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 01, 2012

Readout of the President’s Calls with State and Local Officials Responding to Sandy

Aboard Air Force One en route to Las Vegas, the President talked to New York Governor Cuomo about the recovery efforts underway in his state.  The two will convene another call later tonight with other local officials. FEMA Administrator Fugate will also join the call.

 The President also convened conference calls with state and local elected officials in New Jersey and Connecticut to ensure that federal partners continue to bring all available resources to bear to support state and local response efforts and that bureaucratic red tape is not impeding progress. 

 The call with New Jersey officials included Governor Christie, the state’s emergency manager and more than 700 officials from across the state.  The call to discuss Connecticut recovery efforts included Governor Malloy and the state’s emergency manager.   FEMA Administrator Fugate also participated in both calls.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 01, 2012

Notice -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Weapons of Mass Destruction

NOTICE

- - - - - - -

CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY WITH RESPECT TO

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

On November 14, 1994, by Executive Order 12938, the President declared a national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States posed by the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons (weapons of mass destruction) and the means of delivering such weapons. On July 28, 1998, the President issued Executive Order 13094 amending Executive Order 12938 to respond more effectively to the worldwide threat of weapons of mass destruction proliferation activities. On June 28, 2005, the President issued Executive Order 13382 which, inter alia, further amended Executive Order 12938 to improve our ability to combat proliferation. The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States; therefore, the national emergency first declared on November 14, 1994, and extended in each subsequent year, must continue. In accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 12938, as amended.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 01, 2012

Letter -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Weapons of Mass Destruction

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within the 90-day period prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice, stating that the national emergency with respect to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction that was declared in Executive Order 12938, as amended, is to continue in effect for 1 year beyond November 14, 2012.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 01, 2012

Letter -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Sudan

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within the 90-day period prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the Sudan emergency is to continue in effect beyond November 3, 2012.

The crisis constituted by the actions and policies of the Government of Sudan that led to the declaration of a national emergency in Executive Order 13067 of November 3, 1997, and the expansion of that emergency in Executive Order 13400 of April 26, 2006, and with respect to which additional steps were taken in Executive Order 13412 of October 13, 2006, has not been resolved. These actions and policies are hostile to U.S. interests and continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. Therefore, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared with respect to Sudan and maintain in force the sanctions against Sudan to respond to this threat.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 30, 2012

President Obama Signs Connecticut Disaster Declaration

The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Connecticut and ordered Federal aid to supplement state, Tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by Hurricane Sandy beginning on October 27, 2012, and continuing.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven, and New London and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and Mohegan Tribal Nation located within New London County.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding is available to state, Tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for the counties of Fairfield, Middlesex, New Haven, and New London and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and Mohegan Tribal Nation located within New London County.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for all counties and Tribes within the state.

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Albert Lewis as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. 

FEMA said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.

FEMA said that residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 30, 2012

Readout of the President’s Conference Call with Electric Utility Executives

Late this afternoon, the President participated in a call in the White House Situation Room with Energy Secretary Stephen Chu, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and utility executives to underscore that restoring power to the millions of Americans who lost electricity during Sandy is a top priority and explore areas where FEMA and federal partners can provide additional assistance as companies and states work towards this goal.  He thanked the executives for the efforts their companies made to preposition assets in advance of the storm and for the important work that has already begun to restore power, including the ongoing effort to move existing private sector assets from as far away as the West Coast.  The President also commended the dangerous and exhausting work being undertaken by the lineman and utility workers on the front lines in the field, repairing downed power lines and conducting other important tasks.

On the call the President made clear his existing directive to agencies to eliminate any bureaucratic roadblocks the companies and their crews could encounter that delay the power restoration effort, and identified steps the companies and the Administration could take now to help speed this critical effort – including the deployment of an industry liaison to FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center beginning tomorrow.  The President instructed his team to keep him updated on the progress made by the utilities to restore power.

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
October 30, 2012

President Obama Signs New Hampshire Emergency Declaration

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of New Hampshire and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Sandy beginning on October 26, 2012, and continuing.

The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all counties in the State of New Hampshire.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.  Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding. 

W. Craig Fugate, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Kevin L. Hannes as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area.