Responders so safety is a priority. I want to walk through a few done. S weve state and local officials have the lead for this as always and e encourage individual responsibility and as always and i would stress this is a serious the as you have seen from reporting weve had significant rainfall projected storm surge texas, louisiana and our serious this can remain serious for several days want to rtainly dont lose life. Flash flooding and high wind expect a rain more than wind event. So taking this seriously and prepareing is important. Right now President Trump and the entire team have been and ely engaged with state local teams in louisiana preparing for the storm. You know President Trump poke earlier today and to myself and general kelly and acting secretary duke. We did that this morning around team under that leadership which we couldnt have a better team. Were in good hands at the federal level. Of ou might know secretary Homeland Security are responsible for bringing together the fire power to state and local government but the state and local governments are in the a we have respect nd faith in the governors of these respective ones as well. Louisiana has a good handle on what hes doing and Governor Abbot like wise. To reenforce their Planning Efforts and challenge people to be prepared and listen and state and local governments. Faith. T the time to lose best interests and then encourage a shameless plug. I think maybe you learn something if you go there and it help you and your family. An idea of what the president is doing to monitor the development of the storm and what hell be doing moving campaign this weekend. Done. What he has fairly regular briefings. John kelly and myself and had in touch with the secretary and that started several weeks months as weeveral transition in this administration you saw president give a talkfema and to the team but also to set the expectations for administrator and ive known him years. R 15 had state director experience and hes absolutely top of the president will do as we move forward is continue talking directly with governors if they have those needs thats the roblem and the president will continue to talk to me and the secretary now chiefofstaff and to camp david he as full resources to communicate with us. Will the president sign an before y declaration land fall that has happened the motion set funding in before that happened . Will that be done today . Thats contemplated and well take the governors request. I believe he made that and the works thusly. The first the governor assesses unmet needs. Requirements and requests of the president and the federal assistance. The request moves through administrator to the president and in that process right now the nce they get through president of the United States with formal recommendation hell act on that quickly. The impression that the governor has made that right and its at fema now. Of all the conditions if theyre met if its appropriate for believe thestance i president will be aggressive in disaster. That urged ow senator grassly the president not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Of that is in your mind as you prepare for land fall harvey. If a hurricane goes through and ou on in the aftermath to pick up the pieces. We were at katrina in 2005 saw what happened there. This time this will be a multi day event. Sort of challenges does that present in terms of trying to get aid to people that need immediately while you still have buckets of rain coming down . Number of good questions i start with the first one i was fema through the role at and had a role in helping our government right the lessons not justo i think its whats on mind but all the Emergency Managers especially texas and louisiana. That is still in their memory done is gotten a lot better as government. Ongress has passed laws to allow the flexibility to deploy which ust long has. That declaration i expect we your and then lastly to point about how difficult is it to get assistance to people i would say this. To plan for the federal government to swoop in nd provide everything you need just on time right . 4. 6 Million People in the path how the orm depending forecast goes. We encourage people to be ready nd take responsibility for their own safety as the next 72hours unfold. Shelter are nd primary concerns and secondly don we provide assistance we it so organized if things work out that the assistance flows directly to the individuals eligible for it or the state and local officials logistics trail to provide those commodities and id like to make a plug for nongovernmental organizations as well like the and others that manage shelters. Types of resources are imperative and id like to thank work. Or their before i take the next question just came off what fema organizes. Ll the effective parties and theres no unmet needs and we went across all the emergency of the federal government and also the nongovernmental organizations they didnt report any Additional Needs but reported operationalhe right posture. Ill take a question in the back . Photo of you briefing him this morning what questions did trump have for you about the preparations underway . He had three primary concerns. The life, safety and evacuation timing are people etting out of harms way that need to and second concern is do we have the appropriate bear. Ces to bring to that was a question. Reported we did have all the resources deployed. Briefing i washe not only that the people in evacuated but the eople in louisiana should the forecast wobble so this to the south. Dont lose track of the fact have low level areas all louisiana. E coast of 50 of that lives in that. To katrina. They rely a great deal on pumps out and the femas coordination providing necessary pumps topower to those make sure if the conditions were wed have bad flooding that would put lives in harms way. Concerns. His three life safety and evacuation. Thank you. Here please. Be ou mentioned you will accompanying you and is there discussion about the president trip in light of everything youre saying and can how ive us a sense of theyre thinking is this a storm . Katrina. Gnitude of i dont want to make that comparison. The first answer is i dont have insight in the travel package but i do in the resources at so its just as well resourceed for the White House Communications and that he might need so it nose at trip. That. Ldnt characterize it 45 minutes up the road. Those of you in america thinking far away its right up the road. Secondly were not seeing this is different ster so i dont want to make strong but i would say this. For the perfected if your house doesnt matter if 10,000 or ten other houses are flooded. Do is be eed to prepared for your own damages and consequences and the to prepare for the uniqueness of each. That e low Level Islands might be in the storm surge path but katrina was a massive event. Staggering that took place in just the perfect condition and e had a flooding event with levy failure and other things so dont want people to draw the comparison comparisons. Supply chain may be impacted by hurricane. What are you doing to prepare and give us a sense of the concerns to the president about that particular issue . Yeah. A number of things with my thinking for the white house for the president. Hope to do is have full faith and trust and i do at responders at the local level to coordinate and bring to full resource of the cabinet to keep the edge radioal ocused on the Life Sustaining efforts and make sure americans in harms way are protected. Is making sure regional event doesnt lose ontainment and become a national event. Defining capacity and gulf imately 50 of the coast and a third of the u. S. Capacity is in the storms path that have to take seriously. Theres been reports on gas not in creases and im position to confirm those but he last report i received was that the appropriate steps were being taken to take the refinerys into a position they ready to with stand some wind and flooding. And see whatit out kind of damage is on the other ide but the hope is theyll be able to fix those damages and repair them quickly and be right back in business. A large portion is ffected it might not cause a longterm disruption. Anniversary of hurricane situation. In that by comparison how quickly are texas . Pared to move into weve made leaps and bounds and our federal and state and planning and Emergency Management as a whole we had federal Response Plan that and updated that after 1992. Event that a 911 caused a national Response Plan nd tested it and found efficiencies is and a response framework and great deal of changing the to documents and a great deal of people worked to change those have a tremendous amount f experience and confidence in people at fema and the state and local and Emergency Management have a lot of i confidence in the American People if they do what they need to do in this case. How quickly can you move into the area . Its not about how quickly we into the area. Were pre positioned in all sorts of areas. Begin to help people before storm land fall. Doing that so were providing resources and i corp. Is the army providing extra capacity as the pumps are running. Going forward and the authorities given to us by have ss after katrina allowed more. Now is not the time for government institutions but very can you talk on that. Is there a fear that you have has that stration under the climate or rhetoric broadly to have eal impact on lives and people not at all. Personal experience ive been through a lot of them to remind people to listen to officials. And local inevitably people dont and wish they had. You have nothing to lose but life and i want you to take it seriously and listen to the officials. Ocal im not worried about you losing in the federal government but the local government. Dont worry about it. You to evacuate, listen to their advice. Try to place ople judgement but they dont of time d the amount that goes into planning that. Closing and o road reverse the traffic flow and not s things people might know about. Listen to the Emergency Managers and if you do and are out of arms way you dont put a responders life in jeopardy and recover a position to quickly. [inaudible] can you add what fema relatedces particularly to the length of flooding that might follow the storm about the federal government perspective on whether local officials hould or should not declare mandatory evacuation . No. Im going to leave that localent to the state and officials that make that determination. And thats rses not one of the responsibilities i have here and to reenforce them. I think idea is we have faith in their judgement and people government local officials should as well. Mandatory or not if youre asked idea to its a good take those steps. Latest question theres been concern a troll check point for he Border Patrol north of the border in texas are maintained diswade some d people from getting to shelter . Getheres people that cant across the boarder for life saving purpose . Border of the immigration check points and supposedly those are maintained well as fears as there could be checks at shelters that would deter people from evacuating. That. Havent heard people should not be in fear of going to a shelter and receiving water. D you describe your experience but this is the first time in ident trump will be charge for a National Disaster of this Natural Disaster of this scale. You think you has to project in terms of leadership toskill sets for the country feel that he has led well in this situation . Right up President Trumps alley. Not only has he shown leadership entire focus is on again. America great hes focused on affecting country change in this and when we brief him on the preparations for this hurricane focused on making sure just the right thing that the American People in the have what they need. It was not about geopolitical political arge consequences but are you doing what it takes to help the people affected by the storm. You might not in the northeast hink about this storm but the president is worried about the 4. 6 Million People that are in that are of texas effected by this. This the most important thing worry about for the next 72hours. Rom my perspective i was extremely happy with his instincts on this and i think through this y event. Sir . Declaration before land fall is that something the president will do . In oesnt make a difference the response one way or other . Bitt can and it makes every a difference to the spirit those ty to employee esources to the extent i would advice it favorably and any mbiguity be cleared up at the implementation level. People can employee resources fema to a sign money to other departments to do what theres to do and precedent for it. Discussion any about the president addressing the nation given the potential magnitude of this storm . Should people hear about the commander and chief of the mouth tions and from his that he believes you should listen to local official . When its its a time appropriate the president will address us. Faces and voices of this event be the two overnors of the effected states. No matter how forward leaning we re all the federal family is here to support the governors in this event and any governor so is an enshrined principle of federalism. Is done with the magnitude such e president declares and issue as declaration this is major disaster provides federal assistance it might be an opportunity for him to speak and u but for now i hope pray that people follow the advice of their officials that do what they have to and theres no loss of life in this event. For those prayer effected over in the weekend and no at the white house and at all the way down to the lowest local level in louisiana are doing the e right thing. Youll hear from president late fair it merits. The forecasts are wrong but i dont think thats the right thing to hope for right now. Do what it e and takes to make peoples lives easier as they sustain damage. I appreciate your time and well keep you informed. Thank you. Cspan. Daily. Istory unfolds in 1979 cspan was created by americas Television Cable companies. Its brought to you by your satellite provider. Agriculture sonny perdue sat discuss his personal and professional life. Including his time in the u. S. Force. And his ten years governor of preview. Here as i think its very difficult all of history, of our that section history is regrettable and in its very think difficult to what we see happening is certainly the in charlottesville and durham, North Carolina trying to sterilize history to a point that i think is not helpful. I think these relationships that need to have just like georgia i think it should be and not the ure past. Eorgia has come a long way and we need to recognize that and move forward together. Thats a first republican government of georgia reconstruction, imaged about a 20 billion dollar budget. 60 percent of r hat budget was administered by africanamericans. Not many people would think that governorrst republican but we had qualified people in those agencies from chancellor to the niversity myartment of corrections and First Executive councillor. Now Supreme Court in justice in georgia. Georgia so modern while we cant sterilize the past i think we need to move forward and look at the future how we can live and work and operate together. Inter view spans with sonny perdue tonight at 8 00 eastern here on cspan. Cspans washington journal live every day with news and you. Y issues that impact saturday morning american nterprise Michael Ruben talked about President Trumps new trategy in afghanistan and author of the antifa on the groups role in protests today magazine cal on sanutor Ethan Epstein franciscos public housing. Watch the washington journal Live Saturday morning at 7 00 am eastern. Join the discussion. For the next hour. Exclusive. Ur city visits tacoma, washington to learn more about its unique literary life. Weve traveled bringing the book scene so our viewers. You can watch more at