FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY

PRESS BRIEFING BY

JOE ALLBAUGH, DIRECTOR, FEMA

Saturday, September 15, 2001

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MODERATOR: We do have that news conference coming up right now. Joe
Allbaugh is speaking. He is the director of FEMA. He is at the Pentagon.
Let\'s listen in.

MR. ALLBAUGH: I made a couple of trips into the building, and there is a
lot of work that is going on inside that Urban Search and Rescue Teams
are performing that the public nor you would really garner by watching
the facade on the outside.

Governor Gilmore joined me on one of those trips inside. It is a very
serious, serious situation.

It\'s incredible, the amount of cooperation out of the Defense
Department, the various fire departments, Arlington, Fairfax County,
Alexandria, Fort Belvoir, and the four Urban Search and Rescue Teams
that are here performing miracles, quite frankly, on behalf of America.

It is emotional. It is something I hope I never go through again as long
as I live.

Our hearts and prayers are with those who have lost their lives. We will
always continue to have hope. Time is working against us, however.

To those families who lost loved ones and just don\'t know, our entire
country is with you.

To the families of the men and women who are working in the building
right now, our prayers are with you as well. Your loved ones are doing
remarkable work.

I just came from New York City this afternoon, after arriving there
Wednesday afternoon at 5 o\'clock. Both of these scenes, as well as the
one in Pennsylvania, are devastating, though what is remarkable is the
spirit that I have seen in New York City, here at the Pentagon. That\'s
what will get us all through this to the bitter end.

The President is deeply concerned about the families, both of the
victims and those that are putting their lives at risk. So we ask that
all of us take a moment of silence every day, several times a day, and
pray for those individuals, the families.

Right now, there are more questions than there are answers, and I would
ask that the American public be patient. This will take time. We will
all get through this.

\[Pause.\]

MR. ALLBAUGH: This is difficult. This is very difficult.

Let me just stop for a few minutes, and I\'ll take a couple of
questions, and then I really need to get back over to Headquarters. I
haven\'t visited Headquarters since I\'ve been in town. I came straight
in from Andrews, and I need to address some other situations.

So who has the first question? Right here.

QUESTION: \[Inaudible.\]

MR. ALLBAUGH: I can\'t\--I can\'t describe it without a \[inaudible\]. I
can\'t.

QUESTION: But what are your thoughts?

MR. ALLBAUGH: My thoughts immediately were to those who are still in the
building. It will be sometime before we can recover everyone. These
folks behind me are working as fast as they possibly can.

QUESTION: \[Inaudible.\] On the table, there is an American flag in a
window someplace there. I imagine \[inaudible\].

MR. ALLBAUGH: Words can\'t describe the way it is inside. It\'s
impossible. It is impossible. It just\--and I think it\'s also
inappropriate right now.

QUESTION: \[Inaudible.\]

MR. ALLBAUGH: Right, right.

QUESTION: \[Inaudible.\]

MR. ALLBAUGH: This is a catastrophic disaster. This is all something
that we hope and pray we will never see and we hope and pray we will
never go through again, but our country is prepared to handle this, both
physically, emotionally. It\'s going to be tough, but we have an
incredible spirit.

You know, most countries try to replicate the spirit we have in this
country, and they can\'t do it. That\'s what sets us apart from every
other nation in the world. We are unique. We are proud. We are
resilient.

QUESTION: \[Inaudible.\]

MR. ALLBAUGH: We\'re in a capacity of supporting and facilitating
everything that the Defense Department needs, everything that the Urban
Search and Rescue Teams need, any technical expertise as provided for by
the Corps of Engineers, and insofar as structural engineers, we make
sure that everyone has everything that they possibly need.

Yes, sir. One more question after this.

QUESTION: \[Inaudible.\]

MR. ALLBAUGH: I\'m not going to discuss it. I\'m really\--I\'m really
not going to discuss it.

Last question.

QUESTION: Is it too early\--

MR. ALLBAUGH: You\'ve had two questions. Let\'s have somebody else, you
know? Let\'s be fair. Who else? Yes.

QUESTION: Mr. Allbaugh, you \[inaudible\].

MR. ALLBAUGH: These are American heroes, let me tell you. I\'m not sure
that I could do what they do. It takes a unique individual, men and
women alike, working shoulder to shoulder, to go inside with their dogs.
They live with their dogs. They sleep with their dogs. They
\[inaudible\] with their dogs. They have the best technical equipment
that is available to find individuals, to work their way through this
problem. It is amazing. These are true American heroes, and we all ought
to be proud of them.

You see a law enforcement officer, you see a firefighter, you ought to
stop them and thank them for what they do. They put their lives on the
line every day, and yet they are always the first in line for budget
cuts and the last in line for recognition. That\'s got to stop.

These people are American heroes, and we ought to thank every one of
them. It\'s amazing. They are our brothers and sisters, and they are in
there working right now, putting their lives at risk.

I appreciate the cooperation you all have provided us and facilitating
the information getting out. It\'s going to take a while to go through
this, weeks, months in New York City, but we will do it all shoulder to
shoulder.

Thank you all very much.

MODERATOR: Joe Allbaugh, the director of FEMA, emotional words from the
director of FEMA after he goes to the Pentagon to survey the damage
there. He has already been to New York.

\[End of RealPlayer audio.\]

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