Statement Homeland Security Michael Chertoff

Statement by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff

The effort to respond and recover from Hurricane Katrina is moving forward. We are preparing to move from the immediate emergency response phase to the next phase of operations. Importantly, we must have seamless interaction with military forces as we move forward with our critical work in New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. At the same time, we are still in hurricane season and need to be prepared to deal effectively with the possibility of future hurricanes and other disasters.

Therefore, I have directed Mike Brown to return to administering FEMA nationally, and I have appointed Vice Admiral Thad Allen of the Coast Guard as the Principal Federal Official (PFO) overseeing Hurricane Katrina response and recovery effort in the field. Joe Picciano will continue to be deputy PFO in Baton Rouge to support Admiral Allen's efforts.

Hurricane Katrina will go down as the largest natural disaster in American history and Mike has done everything he possibly could to coordinate the federal response to this unprecedented challenge.

I appreciate his work. I also appreciate the tireless efforts of the men and women of FEMA, as well as our federal, state, and local partners.

Vice Admiral Allen is doing an exceptional job, and he has my full support in the important work ahead.

### For Immediate Release, Office of the Press Secretary, Contact: 202-282-8010, September 9, 2005

more at Hurricane Katrina and Katrina or hurricane and Katrina relief or Coast Guard and Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen or FEMA