Washington, DC
September 9, 2005

Katrina

Katrina's devastation has brought out the best of the nation's mayors and our cities. An e-mail last night in Atlanta, Georgia in a Mexican restaurant comes to me on my blackberry from Hilo, Hawaii. That city is on the other side of the Big Island. Miles and miles away, the cities and mayors and county officials continue to open their cities and the hearts of our people. The message reads: "Dear Tom, on behalf of Hawaii County, Mayor Harry Kim asked me to inform you that our county government does not have any housing available. However, if it would be of value to you, Mayor Kim would be willing to try to survey the community, looking for individuals who might be willing to make their homes available. Please let us know if you think this would be a worthwhile exercise. We recently heard on the news that most evacuees are unwilling to go to Massachusetts because it is too far away from their homes. Obviously, Hawaii is much further. Andrew Levin, Executive Director."

God bless Andrew, Mayor Harry Kim and the good hearted people of Hilo.

Hilo, Hawaii is just one example of American cities and counties who are reaching out to us. Thousands of cities and counties, headed up by mayors and county officials are pouring their hearts out and screaming to FEMA and the federal government to send our downtrodden masses of Americans from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to come into their home towns and homes.

This outpouring is a direct result of HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson's telephone call to me and our President Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill to reach out for an available housing stock survey. We charged USCM Chief of Staff Ed Somers and Assistant Executive Gene Lowe to get moving immediately after Secretary Jackson's call. Within eight hours after he called, the survey was sent last Thursday and within twenty-fours hours, Ed was personally delivering the information to the White House.

The e-mails and survey information continues to come. We asked what they had available and they sent us back what they had and what they will do to help our American citizens get back on their feet.

On behalf of the nation's mayors, we say to President Bush, the FEMA Director and to the 50 governors, send us our people! We are ready to house them. We thank Secretary Jackson for his bold leadership. And we are continuing to back him up as he is our advocate within the madness of the federal bureaucracy that is not as agile and mobile as the remarkable network we have within The United States Conference of Mayors.

Mayors and local officials wake up every morning and go to bed every night wanting to do something. We are doing our best to harness this explosion of energy to do the job that must be done in relocating our fellow Americans to higher ground — to a safe haven of a decent place to live, sleep and work until they can return home. It will be a long haul but we will not rest until we complete the mission that was given to me and President O'Neill by Secretary Jackson.

The National Association of Counties is also immensely involved in this mission and Executive Director Larry Naake reports that the county officials are working along with us and Secretary Jackson to get the relocation mission successfully accomplished.

Yes, there are challenges. Yes, there is frustration. Yes, there is finger pointing, name calling and Monday morning quarterback talk about who didn't do what when they should have done this or that. And, yes, the race question has been raised. There will be a time for a full accountability and we will be there to give our story. But now is not the time for that — we must keep our eyes and action focused on the immediate task before us — to house those that so deservedly believe that our government's response to Katrina failed them. We owe to them — our citizens, our brothers and sisters — the same, if not more, that we have given to non-Americans off our shores in distant and far away lands. We thank our mayors and all local officials who are responding at this time. This is a crucial time in our history of this great nation and the mayors and cities are standing up and standing tall — and we will be there in the morning, in the day and into the night until every person is accorded the basic necessities of life — food, water and shelter.

Mississippi and Alabama

As we focus on the great City of New Orleans, as we live and breathe the CNN and FOX News network images that are pounded into our brains, hearts and souls, we must not forget the cities, large and small and tiny of Alabama and Mississippi. Conference President O'Neill invited the National Conference of Black Mayors to join us in our first Katrina conference call. NCBM President Mayor Roosevelt Dorn of Inglewood, California and NCBM Executive Director Vanessa Williams on the conference call expressed deep concern and frustration concerning the assistance needed for the cities outside New Orleans located on the Gulf Coast and inland up into the mainland areas of Alabama and Mississippi. This week I am in Atlanta with a team working with Executive Director Williams to assess how we can match up devastated cities with cities that are already offering help. Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley dispatched a strong team to Gretna, Louisiana last week to help that city that he has adopted through this crisis. Other mayors and cities are following the Baltimore example. That is our mission here in Atlanta.

As U.S.Mayor goes to press, we have received a communication from Mobile Mayor Mike Dow requesting USCM for a coordinated effort with Mobile serving as a base for teams and supplies. Conference President O'Neill has asked me to follow up with Mayor Dow's request and I will report to you soon on this development.

Baton Rouge

Conference President O'Neill and I have dispatched a team to Baton Rouge and they are there this week to establish a direct liaison with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Baton Rouge Mayor Melvin <0x2018>Kip- Holden. Baton Rouge has become the base for the New Orleans cabinet and government until things are cleared up in New Orleans. Unfortunately the communication's system in New Orleans was completely destroyed. Cell phones, computers, telephones and blackberries are worthless. Hence, our team was sent there to establish a personal and direct link with Mayors Nagin and Holden. We will soon report to you through our own communications system our assessment of the needs of New Orleans that are given to us from Mayor Nagin.

Reimbursements

While our hearts and homes are open, we recognize that many cities will need additional resources. Congress has passed a $62 billion package earmarking billions for housing assistance and reimbursements to local governments. Last weekend I sent a fax message and e-mail message out to all mayors urging them to push their Governor in their respective state to get a disaster declaration status such as Texas and other surrounding states have done so that all of you can receive the reimbursements that Congress has provided. God help us with the red tape but your Governor must act in order for you to receive future reimbursements. We didn't write the law, we are just trying to cope with it. If there are questions about reimbursements please notify Ed Somers at our headquarters for advice and direction — PH: (202) 861-6706 and E-MAIL: esomers@usmayors.org.

O'Neill Leadership Meeting — Long Beach and Katrina

Conference President O'Neill convenes our Long Beach Leadership meeting later this month on September 22-25. The Katrina response and the long haul we face will be up front and center. President O'Neill is focused on our overall effort and no doubt our reports to you from staff, other mayors and federal officials will give us insight, direction, and added commitment as we go forward. As we left Chicago at our last Annual Meeting in June, little did we know that Katrina would turn our world upside down. Conference President O'Neill laid out in her inaugural address her plans for the year. And like other Presidents before her, life is what happens when you are planning something else. Marc Morial wasn't expecting 9/11 when he became our President, Mayor Don Plusquellic wasn't expecting a move to eliminate the Community Development Block Grant program when he became our President.

I am pleased to report to you that our current President is totally focused on what Katrina has done to us. And she has risen to this challenge and with her leadership and your support we will prevail. That is our heritage. That is our call — to help all our people all over this great nation during times of need and pain. We look forward to seeing so many of you in Long Beach where we will continue to chart our course and complete the mission before us.

Meantime, once more, thank all of you for the tremendous support you are giving. Continue to send us your thoughts and recommendations. And pay careful attention to our faxes, e-mails and our website. That's usmayors.org, your home on the internet. God bless the American survivors of Katrina, our brothers and our sisters. And God bless the USA mayors who are doing what needs to be done for all Americans that need our help at this time.