Remarks by President Trump at Briefing on Hurricane Florence Recovery Efforts | Cherry Point, NC | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point  •  Cherry Point, North Carolina  •  September 19, 2018  •  10:47 A.M. EDT

    THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much everybody. We appreciate it very - the job you've done has been incredible. Incredible. They're talking about it all over the world. And we want to keep it going that way, because some of the hard work is now. We've gone through very dangerous work, and still dangerous, but some of the hard work is taking place right now, even though it's nice and beautiful and sunny.

    I was talking to the Governor. And, Governor, I want to thank you. A really fantastic - a fantastic job. But in speaking to the Governor, some of the flooding is actually epic. Hard to believe. And we've seen all the pictures where houses are literally covered beyond the roof. You don't even know there's a house there. And, you know, one of those things. Well, the water is starting to go down now, finally.

    But again, I want to thank Governor Cooper. I want to express my gratitude to your Lieutenant Governor, Dan Forest, very importantly. And to all of the state and local leaders who have been really incredible partners throughout this response and recovery.

    There's been a lot of talent. A lot of work and a lot of talent. Without the talent, it doesn't work either. You had a combination of hard work and that great ability.

    We're joined also by Secretary Nielsen, Administrator McMahon, Director Mulvaney, and FEMA Administrator Long. I want to thank you all. Administrator, great job. Incredible job. The planning that went into this is beyond - beyond belief. So I just want to thank the Secretary and Administrator. Really - really something special.

    I also want to thank some great friends of mine and some very talented people that love this state. They love all our states, I think we can say, and that's Senator Richard Burr. Where's Richard? Richard? Thank you very much. You have great representatives. Senator Thom Tillis, thank you. Thank you. Where's Thom? Thank you, Thom. Lindsey Graham. Lindsey? What happened? Lindsey. (Laughter.) Oh, look at Lindsey.

    Lindsey, do you want to pull up a chair? What happened to you? (Laughter.)

    SENATOR GRAHAM: (Inaudible.)

    THE PRESIDENT: You know, we could have - (laughter) - Richard, would you let him sit at our table? I don't know. Come on. Pull up a chair, Lindsey. But Lindsey has been great.

    And Tim Scott. Where's Tim? Good. I don't know, I feel pretty guilty. Come over here.

    They have been fantastic, all of them - all four. And we've had a lot help from Congress, in all fairness. And we're ready and they're ready to do whatever we have to do to make this perfect. And that means, unfortunately, the money will be a lot, but it's going to come as fast as you need it. We're going to take care of everybody.

    Hurricane Florence was one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the Carolinas. One of the most powerful and devastating storms ever to hit our country.

    To the families who have lost loved ones, America grieves with you, and our hearts break for you. God bless you. We will never forget your loss. We will never leave your side. We're with you all way. And to all those impacted by this terrible storm, our entire American family is with you and ready to help. And you will recover.

    Most importantly, we give thanks to the incredible first responders, including sheriffs, police officers, firefighters, our great Cajun Navy. They're all over the place. I put them up online and everybody loved it. Everybody loved it. But they put themselves, all of them, in harm's way. And what they've done to save precious lives of our citizens has been nothing short of incredible.

    Nearly 20,000 federal and military personnel are supporting the response efforts along with Southeast Coast, including brave men and women of North Carolina and the National Guard. Now, of course, we're going to South Carolina right after this, and they have been incredible. And I know you've worked and coordinated very well also, Governor, with South Carolina. That's been a really great partnership.

    Together with state and local first responders, they've assisted and rescued more than 3,000 people. So we want to thank you. And I will say, I've been watching the Coast Guard with all of the helicopters lifting people off rooftops, and it's been an incredible job you've done again. We appreciate it. Thank you very much.

    More than 1.6 million meals have been delivered to North Carolina, and more than 400,000 are ready in South Carolina as soon as they're requested. So we're standing by with 400,000 meals in South Carolina.

    Crews have restored power to over 1.2 million customers already in North and South Carolina. And the power is starting to go on as soon as the water goes down. They're meeting the demand incredibly well. So I want to thank the power companies and all of the federal workers, but we have to also thank some of the power companies because they've been very responsive. As soon as that water goes down, for the most part, people have power.

    In moments of despair, we witness the true character of the American people. So true. Citizens all across our country rally together to rescue the stranded, to protect the innocent, and to restore hope to families who have experienced tremendous and unbearable loss.

    I want to thank all of the people here today. A very special group of people. Very talented group of people. And we love working with you. It's an honor to work with you. We've done a real job, and we've got to continue to do that real job because another phase is coming in right now, and we're going to meet that phase just like we've met phase one.

    So, Governor, again, thank you very much. I appreciate it. And to everybody, thank you very much. And whatever we have to do at the federal level, we will be there - and you know that - 100 percent.

    And, Secretary Nielsen? Please.

    SECRETARY NIELSEN: Yes, sir. Well, first I just wanted to start by thanking you for your leadership. I think we would all agree, we appreciate (inaudible) to respond, to direct all of our federal governments, to support our partners.

    And what you see there is how that partnership works so well. We've got the private sector, we've got our congressional members, state and local officials. We certainly have all of our partners at DOD and the National Guard. So we are all working together as it should be, in unity of effort, under your leadership. And we greatly appreciate everyone's partnership.

    If I could, I'd like to ask the Administrator to give us a brief update as to where we are.

    ADMINISTRATOR LONG: So, Mr. President, as you know, a disaster response like this takes all of us working together, not just coordinating the federal government together, which has come together very well so far. But it takes all of us from neighbor helping neighbor, all the way up to the federal government, to help people overcome what they've been through.

    I've been on the ground yesterday. I'll be on the ground through tomorrow to make sure that I verify that we're doing everything that we can right now. This event is not over; the rivers are still cresting. And so we still have a lot of work to do when it comes to the life, safety, and life sustainment mission.

    But we're also simultaneously working on making sure that we stabilize all of the critical lifelines in regards to the infrastructure. So it's all interconnected. We got to get the roads open to be able to get the power crews into the isolated areas and the flooded areas. And we also have to put a big focus on the hazardous materials, and the health and medical capabilities, and getting them back up and running fully in every community.

    One of the things that's most important is that we're already pushing forward our disaster survival assistance teams into the fields, into the shelters. We need people to register with 1-800-621-FEMA, or they can download the FEMA app, or they can go through DisasterAssistance.gov.

    But more importantly, my job is made easier when a governor like Governor Cooper, Mike Sprayberry, Erik Hooks, have truly done their part to be self-sufficient at the state level. They have been very strong and capable partners. So, thank you.

    Thank you, Sir.

    SECRETARY NIELSEN: And perhaps we turn it over to the Governor. Governor, as you said so well yesterday, "Sunshine doesn't need safety." So we're right here with you in the midst of a very (inaudible) response.

    GOVERNOR COOPER: Well, thank you, Mr. President, for coming to North Carolina as our rescue and recovery continues.

    Our rivers are still cresting, and there is still danger for some people. We're hoping that they can get evacuated and that out first responders continue to make sure that people are brought to safety.

    Our state took a gut punch, Mr. President. And our people are still reeling. We've lost 27 lives, officially, so far. And some more are under investigation. And we mourn their loss.

    We have farmers who have lost significantly their crops. A lot of businesses are down. And, of course, people have lost their homes. We have about 10,000 people right now in shelters. I talked to one the other day who had a rescue out of an apartment in downtown Wilmington. And I will say this: All the way from firefighters in Wilmington, to our state responders, our National Guard, and the United States Coast Guard, there have been some heroic first responders who have saved lives.

    We are beginning the process of getting our feet under us, Mr. President. We're getting water and supplies, hot meals to people. We're beginning to clear roads, although we have a number of roads continuing to be closed, including parts of Interstate 95 and Interstate 40. And you can imagine what that does to commerce and people trying to get from one place to the next.

    We have a lot of power that has been restored, but there are thousands of people who are still waiting to get their power back.

    I know that this state has a great economy, great education. We are a beacon in the south. And we have weathered storms before in our state. But, Mr. President, we have never seen one like this. This one has been epic, it has been disastrous, and it has been widespread. It is a storm like no other.

    We're beginning the process, with your federal help and with our local county people; many of them are here today. And we want to thank our local responders and all of the help that they have given to deal with people right there on the ground. But we're starting to figure out how we will build back. We will do it in a smart and strong way. I've been grateful for Secretary Nielsen and for Admiral Buschman. Thank you for your help with the Coast Guard and helping to rescue people.

    And, Mr. President, Brock Long, as FEMA Administrator, along with Albie Lewis, who has been here, they are helping us right now significantly. And we're grateful.

    I've got a great Emergency Management Director in Mike Sprayberry and my Secretary of Public Safety, Erik Hooks. They're all onboard. Our Adjutant General of the National Guard, General Lusk, has been doing a fantastic job.

    And this Title 10 that we've invoked with our joint military exercise, we are grateful to the members of the U.S. military who have stepped up and helped us through this process.

    But, Mr. President, we've got a long road ahead in the days and the months, and even years ahead, to make sure we build back to where we need to be here in North Carolina. And you're here, and I'm asking you, sir, for your help, every step of the way. All of these federal agencies are going to have to help us in cutting red tape and making sure we can be smart about this rebuilding process.

    We still understand that people have a lot of immediate needs, and that's going to be critically important over the next few days and weeks. But long-term rebuild, I know the resiliency of North Carolinians. We have an amazing state. I know that we can come back stronger than ever. But we're going to need your help.

    And thank you for coming to listen to this.

    THE PRESIDENT: And I'll be there. Congressman, thank you. Thank you, Roy. We will be there 100 percent. And all of the folks from the federal government that are around the table, they're confirming it. That's why we started early and we'll be here late.

    And we want to thank the great job you've done and all of your people. Thank you very much.

    I'd like to maybe ask Richard Burr to say a few words, your great senator who's done an incredible job. And then we're going to ask Thom Tillis to say a few words. These are two people that love this state and they love the country.

    Richard?

    SENATOR BURR: Well, Mr. President, I'm going to say to this group exactly what I said to you on the plane. I've been doing disasters in North Carolina as an elected representative for now 25 years. I've never seen the preparation, the coordination, the collaboration between the federal, state, and local government like I've seen prior to this event.

    If we do half as good in the response as we did in the preparation, then North Carolinians are going to be in good hands.

    The challenge is, quite frankly, going to be this: We're faced with things in this event that we haven't been faced with before. And the ability to have the Coast Guard and DOD assets in this state, upfront, before the event, has enabled those at a local, state, and federal level to adjust what plans we might have had in place, and deliver water and food and essentials in a way that we could get into any community in this state. Without that level of collaboration, we'd have people that were in serious, serious problems much worse than today.