For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Arps
National Black Republican Association
601 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 900-S
Washington, DC 20004 (202) 638-6940
(202) 639-8238 Fax
E-mail: communications@nbra.info
www.nbra.info

BLACK REPUBLICAN GROUP PRAISES BUSH'S DISASTER REACTION

Washington, D.C. - September 2, 2005 - Seeing the hundreds of relief convoys pouring into New Orleans, bringing medicine and millions of gallons of food and water to provide relief and comfort to the people devastated by Hurricane Katrina, the National Black Republican Association (NBRA), a grassroots organization, issued a statement of praise for President Bush and his show of compassion and leadership in directing the relief effort.

"President Bush is to be commended for deploying all of the resources of the federal government to help the refugees," said NBRA Chairman, Frances Rice.

"The President turned an unacceptable situation in New Orleans into a massive relief effort," NBRA Chairman Rice noted, "including deploying all of the assets necessary to provide immediate help for the people and long-term planning to rebuild communities."

Thousands of National Guard troops in full battle gear and over 1,400 Military Police are pouring into New Orleans to secure the city and stop the looters and thugs armed with shotguns who have terrorized the people and hampered relief efforts. President Bush is working to provide maximum support for the Mayor and local emergency personnel, who happen to be African Americans in a city with a population of over 67% African Americans.

"As African Americans," NBRA officer Andre Cadogan said, "we are deeply concerned about efforts of President Bush's critics to politicize, for their own partisan political agenda, a disaster that affects so many of our fellow African American citizens."

"Ignored by the President's critics," NBRA Chairman Rice said, "is the fact that initially the media reported that Hurricane Katrina had veered away from New Orleans and that the city had escaped severe damage. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, the critics are attempting to blame President Bush for the breaks in the levees that produced the disaster unfolding before our very eyes."