Michael Chertoff
Michael Chertoff
Michael Chertoffis an American attorney who was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security under Presidents George W. Bush andBarack Obama, and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. He previously served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a federal prosecutor, and as Assistant U.S. Attorney General. He succeeded Tom Ridge as United States Secretary of Homeland Security on February 15, 2005...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPublic Servant
Date of Birth28 November 1953
CountryUnited States of America
I don't endorse those views, ... I know the city was totally overwhelmed. My own view is I have to get my own house in order. That's what I'm focused on.
We're going to have to go house to house in this city. We're going to have to check every single place to find people who may be alive and in need of assistance,
We are not going to be able to have people sitting in houses in the city of New Orleans for weeks and months while we de-water and clean this city,
As you know, the president has established the 'White House Task Force on Hurricane Katrina Response.' He will meet with us tomorrow to launch this effort. The Department of Homeland Security, along with other Departments, will be part of the task force and will assist the administration with its response to Hurricane Katrina,
My own view is this, I've got to get my own house in order, ... I am not here to judge others. I did not have a problem with state and local officials.
I'm not going to judge others, ... I've got my own house to put in order.
We were prepared for one catastrophe. The second catastrophe, frankly, added a level of challenge that no one has seen before.
We were prepared for one catastrophe, ... The second catastrophe, frankly, added a level of challenge that no one has seen before.
We have to continue to use both low-tech and high-tech tools to assist our Border Patrol in patrolling this portion of terrain and protecting ourselves against people who want to sneak across.
We will not tolerate lawlessness, or violence, or interference with the evacuation,
We will work tirelessly to ensure that our fellow citizens have the sustained support and the necessary aid to reclaim their homes, their lives and their communities,
We certainly have to fill out the ranks of FEMA in terms of its senior level with experienced staff.
We're going to uncover people who died, maybe hiding in houses, got caught by the flood, people whose remains are going to be found in the streets, ... It is going to be about as ugly of a scene as I think you can imagine.
We're going to be better prepared for this hurricane season than any other prior year.