National government must declare it a national disaster area because massive resources would be required to restore the area.

We will ensure, along with our colleagues in government, that the situation is remedied as a matter of urgency.

They are on top of situation.

The big picture is that the federal government is a disaster with regard to long-term spending.

[With billions of dollars to boost disaster preparedness at all levels of government,] we would have expected a sharp, crisp response to this terrible tragedy, ... Instead, we witnessed what appeared to be a sluggish initial response.

SBA disaster loans are the primary source of long-term recovery assistance from the federal government. To date, we have approved more than $84,310,000 in the State of Alabama for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.