English subtitles for clip: File:2012-11-03 President Obama's Weekly Address.ogv
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1 00:00:08,795 --> 00:00:11,461 The President: This weekend, millions of our fellow Americans are still 2 00:00:11,461 --> 00:00:13,761 picking up the pieces from one of the worst storms in 3 00:00:13,761 --> 00:00:15,226 our history. 4 00:00:15,227 --> 00:00:17,695 I toured New Jersey on Wednesday with Governor Christie, 5 00:00:17,695 --> 00:00:21,227 and witnessed some of the terrible devastation firsthand. 6 00:00:21,227 --> 00:00:22,861 It's heartbreaking. 7 00:00:22,861 --> 00:00:24,761 Families have lost loved ones. 8 00:00:24,761 --> 00:00:27,427 Entire communities have been wiped away. 9 00:00:27,428 --> 00:00:30,094 Even some of the first responders who repeatedly put 10 00:00:30,094 --> 00:00:33,261 themselves in harm's way to bravely save the lives of others 11 00:00:33,261 --> 00:00:36,094 have suffered losses of their own. 12 00:00:36,094 --> 00:00:39,161 Today, I ask everyone to keep them in your prayers. 13 00:00:39,161 --> 00:00:43,594 And as President, I promise them this: your country will be there 14 00:00:43,594 --> 00:00:48,728 for you for as long as it takes to recover and rebuild. 15 00:00:48,728 --> 00:00:51,127 Throughout the week, I've been in constant contact with 16 00:00:51,127 --> 00:00:53,161 governors and mayors in the affected areas, 17 00:00:53,161 --> 00:00:55,428 who are doing an excellent job in extraordinarily 18 00:00:55,428 --> 00:00:57,126 difficult circumstances. 19 00:00:57,127 --> 00:00:59,861 And we owe the first responders and National Guardsmen who have 20 00:00:59,861 --> 00:01:03,494 been working around the clock our deepest gratitude. 21 00:01:03,494 --> 00:01:06,061 Our number one concern has been making sure that affected states 22 00:01:06,061 --> 00:01:09,628 and communities have everything they need to respond to and 23 00:01:09,628 --> 00:01:11,594 recover from this storm. 24 00:01:11,594 --> 00:01:14,261 From the earliest hours, I ordered that resources be made 25 00:01:14,261 --> 00:01:17,594 available to states in the path of the storm as soon as they 26 00:01:17,594 --> 00:01:18,594 needed them. 27 00:01:18,594 --> 00:01:21,494 And I instructed my team not to let red tape and bureaucracy get 28 00:01:21,494 --> 00:01:23,294 in the way of solving problems -- 29 00:01:23,294 --> 00:01:26,328 especially when it came to making sure local utilities 30 00:01:26,328 --> 00:01:29,528 could restore power as quickly as possible. 31 00:01:29,528 --> 00:01:32,594 Before the storm hit, FEMA pre-staged emergency response 32 00:01:32,594 --> 00:01:34,628 teams from North Carolina to Maine, 33 00:01:34,628 --> 00:01:36,994 and deployed resources like food, water, 34 00:01:36,994 --> 00:01:39,294 and generators up and down the coast. 35 00:01:39,294 --> 00:01:42,127 As the storm passed, thousands of FEMA personnel were on the 36 00:01:42,127 --> 00:01:44,393 ground responding to those in need. 37 00:01:44,394 --> 00:01:47,695 And by midweek, the Department of Defense was ready to fly in 38 00:01:47,695 --> 00:01:50,794 cargo planes that could be loaded with trucks and equipment 39 00:01:50,795 --> 00:01:55,061 to help local power companies get up and running faster. 40 00:01:55,061 --> 00:01:57,027 But recovery will still be a long, 41 00:01:57,027 --> 00:01:59,227 hard road for many communities. 42 00:01:59,227 --> 00:02:01,261 There's a lot of work ahead. 43 00:02:01,261 --> 00:02:04,795 If you've been directly impacted by this storm and need temporary 44 00:02:04,795 --> 00:02:06,994 assistance getting back on your feet, 45 00:02:06,994 --> 00:02:13,328 you can call 1-800-621-FEMA, 1-800-621-FEMA, 46 00:02:13,328 --> 00:02:17,528 or apply at DisasterAssistance.gov. 47 00:02:17,528 --> 00:02:19,761 If you know folks who are still without power, 48 00:02:19,761 --> 00:02:22,561 please spread the word and let them know. 49 00:02:22,561 --> 00:02:25,328 And if you don't live in an affected area and want to help, 50 00:02:25,328 --> 00:02:30,061 supporting the Red Cross is the best and fastest way. 51 00:02:30,061 --> 00:02:33,461 This week, we've been humbled by nature's destructive power. 52 00:02:33,461 --> 00:02:35,928 But we've been inspired as well. 53 00:02:35,928 --> 00:02:38,695 For when the storm was darkest, the heroism of our fellow 54 00:02:38,695 --> 00:02:41,227 citizens shone brightest. 55 00:02:41,227 --> 00:02:44,428 The nurses and doctors at NYU Medical Center who evacuated 56 00:02:44,428 --> 00:02:48,328 fragile newborns, carrying some down several flights of stairs. 57 00:02:48,328 --> 00:02:51,428 The firefighters in Queens who battled an inferno from flooded 58 00:02:51,428 --> 00:02:55,428 streets, and rescued people from an apartment building by boat. 59 00:02:55,428 --> 00:02:58,061 The Coast Guard crews from North Carolina who saved a sinking 60 00:02:58,061 --> 00:03:01,294 ship in stormy seas -- and their rescue swimmer who, 61 00:03:01,294 --> 00:03:04,628 when he reached those in need, said, "I'm Dan, and I hear you 62 00:03:04,628 --> 00:03:06,594 "guys need a ride." 63 00:03:06,594 --> 00:03:08,061 That's who we are. 64 00:03:08,061 --> 00:03:09,061 We're Americans. 65 00:03:09,061 --> 00:03:11,294 When times are tough, we're tougher. 66 00:03:11,294 --> 00:03:12,761 We put others first. 67 00:03:12,761 --> 00:03:14,795 We go that extra mile. 68 00:03:14,795 --> 00:03:17,761 We open our hearts and our homes to one another, 69 00:03:17,761 --> 00:03:19,894 as one American family. 70 00:03:19,895 --> 00:03:24,227 We recover, we rebuild, we come back stronger -- 71 00:03:24,227 --> 00:03:27,461 and together we will do that once more. 72 00:03:27,461 --> 00:03:30,294 Thanks, God bless you, and God bless America.