Offer of resources may include petroleum
EL MIRAGE, Ariz. -- President Bush pledged extensive assistance for victims of Hurricane Katrina yesterday and urged those in areas affected to remain safe until the danger ''from this devastating storm" passed.
Bush also was expected to tap into the nation's emergency petroleum stockpiles to help refineries affected by the storm, administration officials said. Final details were being worked out, the officials said.
The government's supply -- nearly 700 million barrels of oil stored in underground salt caverns along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast -- was established to cushion oil markets during energy disruptions.
''When the storm passes, the federal government has got assets and resources that we'll be deploying to help you. In the meantime, America will pray -- pray for the health and safety of all our citizens," Bush said in remarks directed at storm victims. He made the comments during a previously scheduled speech on Medicare at an RV resort here.
''Our Gulf Coast is getting hit and hit hard," Bush said. ''I urge the citizens there in the region to continue to listen to the local authorities. Don't abandon your shelters until you're given clearance by the local authorities. Take precautions because this is a dangerous storm."
''I want to thank the governors of the affected regions for mobilizing assets prior to the arrival of the storm, to help citizens avoid this devastating storm," Bush said.
The president was expected to authorize at least a loan of some oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, said administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president was waiting to hear the Energy Department's recommendation before making a decision. ''Obviously, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is there for emergency situations, and that would include natural disasters," McClellan told reporters.
In a statement, Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said, ''Beginning last week, we have been in close contact with our federal partners, site managers at various locations of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and companies that operate oil refineries to prepare for any disruption in oil production."
''Over the next few days, we will continue to gain more information on the specific needs and then be able to make a better determination on how we can help," Bodman said.
The Gulf of Mexico is the heart of US oil and natural gas operations, and the storm so far has caused the shutdown of about 8 percent of US refining capacity -- or about 1 million barrels -- further driving up gasoline costs.
It was not known how long oil and natural-gas production in the Gulf would be shut down.
If Bush decides to tap the reserves, as he did in 2004 when Hurricane Ivan struck the Gulf of Mexico, it would not be designed to put downward pressure on gas prices but to give refineries in the area a temporary supply of crude oil to replace interrupted shipments from tankers or offshore oil platforms affected by the storm.
Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the states have adequate National Guard units to handle the hurricane needs, with at least 60 percent of the guard available in each state. He said about 6,500 National Guard troops were available in Louisiana, about 7,000 in Mississippi, nearly 10,000 in Alabama, and about 8,200 in Florida.
Randolph E. Schmid and Associated Press reporters Leslie Miller, Libby Quaid, and John Heilprin contributed to the report from Washington.
