But when I was in the Governor's office in Texas, I witnessed firsthand the importance of having different levels of government work together during the response, particularly, of Tropical Storms Charlie and Frances. I saw how effective that cooperation is in assisting communities recover from their disasters. And now I've had some experience at the national level. A whole eleven and a half days into my new job as FEMA Director the Nisqually Earthquake struck near Seattle, as we all know. This earthquake vividly demonstrated the importance of two of our Agency's missions.
Preparedness is essential to a quick and necessary response.
Mitigation is the key to minimizing damage to buildings, damage to infrastructure, and to saving lives and to maintain the economic well being of our communities. Please know and understand that President Bush's administration is committed to these goals. And it is my intention to continue this focus. On behalf of FEMA, I want to recognize our other federal partners, our state partners, our local partners in advancing this exact same mission. I always worry when C-SPAN shows up because they capture every word I say.