Public urged to stockpile supplies

WASHINGTON — President Bush on Thursday urged residents of vulnerable communities to stockpile 48-to-72 hours of survival supplies for the hurricane season that begins next week.

Bush issued the unusual appeal as he installed Adm. Thad W. Allen as commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Allen will help ensure that federal agencies are ready for the hurricane season that begins June 1, Bush told a tradition-laden Coast Guard change-of-command ceremony at Fort McNair. It was the first time that a president participated in a change-of-command ceremony for the top post in the 216-year history of the Coast Guard.

"We're determined to learn the lessons of (Hurricane) Katrina, and we're doing everything possible to be prepared for the next storm," Bush assured more than 1,000 uniformed military personnel attending the invitation-only event that used three docked Coast Guard vessels as a backdrop.

The Department of Homeland Security has reviewed emergency preparedness plans from the 50 states and the nation's 75 largest cities to identify any weaknesses in advance, Bush said.

Federal authorities have stockpiled emergency relief supplies, overhauled the Federal Emergency Management Agency, tightened the partnership with the Red Cross and bolstered coordination with the Pentagon to prepare for the hurricane season, Bush added.

"We're also making it clear that all able-bodied Americans should have the resources necessary to sustain themselves for 48 to 72 hours after a disaster so that emergency personnel can focus on saving those who cannot help themselves," Bush said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts eight to 10 hurricanes during the six months between June 1 and Nov. 30, with four to six of the storms building to Category 3 or above with sustained winds of at least 111 mph.

An unprecedented 28 tropical storms developed last year producing a record 15 hurricanes, including seven storms of Category 3 or above — four of which hit the United States.

The White House turned to Allen last fall to ramrod troubled Gulf Coast recovery operations after devastating back-to-back hurricanes and a ham-handed federal response that ignited a political firestorm amid the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.

Allen, then serving as Coast Guard chief of staff, replaced beleaguered FEMA Director Michael Brown as the top federal official on the ground. Bush said he relied on Allen's "candid judgment" and "his steady nerves and his presence of mind in trying conditions."