Bob Johannessen
Bob Johannessen
changing date living recovering resources state
The resources of the state to date have been on getting the living out of New Orleans. It is changing to recovering those who perished.
agency caught critical pay question ultimately
Our agency will pay for this if we have to. It's too critical to get caught up in a question of who ultimately is going to pay for it.
percent provide state
We could provide prescriptions, but at 100 percent state expense.
calls complaint help last thousand
We've been getting more than a thousand complaint calls a day for the last week. We can't do much to help out. It's not our program.
federal law obligated return
We are obligated under federal law to return that money. That is what we did.
body claim conduct family people winds
So many people have been completely displaced. A family that winds up in Buffalo, New York, may not have the wherewithal to claim a body and conduct a burial.
few hoping knew last past season several worse
We knew that several years ago, we had about 250 cases. In the last few years, there has been a little over 100 cases. We're hoping this season won't be any worse than in the past few years.
check
It wasn't us. I'll have to check with headquarters.
beginning grief possible process road work
It's a place for the process to start, to work through the grief of beginning the long road of possible identification.
count
We're going to count one at a time. It could take days. It could take years. It could take lifetimes.
means
We don't know what to expect. It means we're prepared.
death rise toll
The death toll will rise without a doubt.
body dignity goal possibly respect treat trying
Our goal is to do everything we can under the circumstances to treat each body with as much dignity and respect as we possibly can. We're trying to treat them all as individuals.
bodies found house locked might nobody
There might still be bodies found -- for instance, if a house was locked and nobody able to go into it.