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Issue 16: September 13, 2005

Transatlantic Focus:
A U.S. Foreign Policy Newsletter

Special Edition: Hurricane Katrina

News from Washington

Bush Pledges Sustained Hurricane Relief Efforts President Bush said he is sending Vice President Cheney to the U.S. Gulf Coast region September 8 to assess the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina. The president also said intends to lead an investigation into the response to the disaster. Speaking September 6 in Washington after a meeting with his Cabinet, Bush vowed that his government is “not going to rest until every life can be saved; until families are reconnected; until this recovery is complete.” The hurricane and subsequent flooding have devastated parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama and left thousands hungry and homeless.

White House webpage on Hurricane Relief The emergency along the Gulf Coast is ongoing; there's still a lot of difficult work ahead. All Americans can be certain our nation has the character, the resources, and the resolve to overcome this disaster. We will comfort and care for the victims. We will restore the towns and neighborhoods that have been lost in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. We'll rebuild the great city of New Orleans. And we'll once again show the world that the worst adversities bring out the best in America."  President George W. Bush more

North American Islamic Group Pledges $10 Million to Aid Efforts  Officials of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) concluded the organization’s 42nd annual convention by announcing a $10 million pledge for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Islamic organization launched the Katrina Relief Fund during the opening of its convention, held September 2-5 in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.  more

Defense Department Special Briefing on Pentagon's Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts. Lieutenant General Joseph Inge, Deputy Commander, U.S. Northern Command Wednesday, September 7, 2005. more

Hurricane Katrina: What Government Is Doing? Department of Homeland Security Fact Sheet - Continuous Update. more

international response

Rice Cites "Tremendous Response" Worldwide on Hurricane Aid More than 70 countries – large and small – as well as the United Nations have offered assistance to the United States for recovery efforts in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said September 4. In remarks to reporters while traveling to Alabama – one of the states hit by the hurricane – to view and participate in recovery efforts, Rice said there has been “a really tremendous response from the rest of the world.” “People have said that America has been so generous in times like this in other places, and now it is time to be generous to America,” the secretary said. “And we’ve received offers of assistance from some 70 countries now, countries as powerful and big as France or China, and as small as the Bahamas, or one of the most touching ones for me was Sri Lanka, which is still recovering from its own natural disaster.” more

Nearly 100 Countries Send Money, Assistance to U.S. Hurricane Victims The U.S. State Department is working with other U.S. government agencies to evaluate and distribute the nearly $1 billion in cash and assistance pouring into the United States from 95 countries around the world in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, department officials told the press September 7. more

International Relief Activities Related to Hurricane Katrina Secretary Condoleezza Rice September 2, 2005, On-The-Record Briefing Washington, DC. more

World Community Offers Support to Victims of Hurricane Katrina Nations throughout the world continue to offer aid to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and express their support for the United States as it responds to a far-reaching natural disaster. Hurricane Katrina struck the southeastern United States August 29, causing widespread damage and prompting the largest domestic relief effort in U.S. history. Meanwhile, as the waters of the hurricane that devastated some 90,000 square miles recede, a new flood is hitting the area -- donations from governments from around the world. more

NATO To Assume Bigger Role in Delivering Katrina Relief Supplies The United States has requested that NATO take on a larger role in transporting European aid to areas of the U.S. Gulf Coast affected by Hurricane Katrina. The August 29 hurricane and subsequent flooding devastated parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama and left thousands homeless. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Victoria Nuland made the official request September 8 at a special meeting of ambassadors from the 26 NATO countries. NATO military officials are looking at the possible use of ships from the elite NATO Response Force working in conjunction with the U.S. Northern Command. "NATO military authorities are now going to discuss this proposal," Kurt Volker, the U.S. principal deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, said September 8 in Brussels, Belgium. more

Transatlantic Focus: A U.S. Foreign Policy Newsletter
is published and distributed by the Public Affairs Section of the United States Mission to NATO - Brussels.