Continuing with his travel to the oil spill hit regions of the country, US President Barack Obama said that the 'oil leak' in the Gulf of Mexico isan assault to American shores.
"This is an unprecedented environmental disaster. It'sthe worst in our nation's history. But we're going to continueto meet it with an unprecedented federal response and recoveryeffort, the largest in our nation's history," Obama said in a speech in Florida.
"This is an assault on our shores, and we're goingto fight back with everything that we've got. And that includes mobilising the resources of the greatest military inthe world," Obama said in his speech amid applause.
Obama, who has so far made four trips to the region, is scheduled to address the nation Tuesday night.
He acknowledged that people have every right to beangry. "Those plumes of oil are off the coast. The fishingwaters are closed. Tar balls have been coming ashore. And everybody's bracing for more," he said.
"I want the people of this region to know that myadministration is going to do whatever it takes, for as longas it takes, to deal with this disaster. And that includes theadditional actions I announced yesterday to make sure thatseafood from the Gulf is safe to eat," he said.
"It includes steps we've taken to protect the safetyof workers involved in the cleanup. It includes a new commandstructure I announced this morning, to make sure states andlocal communities like Pensacola have the autonomy and theresources that they need to go forward," Obama said.
The President said it also includes making sure BPpays for the damages that it has caused, because this isn'tjust an environmental disaster.
"For many families and communities, it's an economicdisaster. Here in Pensacola and the panhandle, tourism iseverything. And when the tourists stay home, it ripples outand hits folks across these communities: the charter boats,the hotels, the restaurants, the roadside stores, the shops,the suppliers, the dive shops," he said.
"I'm going to speak to the nation tonight about this,but let me say to the people of Pensacola and the Gulf Coast, I am with you, my administration is with you for the longhaul, to make sure BP pays for the damage that it has done and to make sure that you are getting the help you need, to protect this beautiful coast and to rehabilitate the damagedareas, to revitalise this region, and to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again. That is a commitment Iam making to the people of Florida and people all across thisGulf," Obama said.
Image: Barack Obama
