USA: PRESIDENT CLINTON HURRICANE GEORGE PRESS CONFERENCE
(25 Sep 1998) English/Nat President Bill Clinton has expressed hopes Hurricane Georges will not create too much havoc in Florida. He was speaking at the White House before leaving on a three-state domestic tour. Bill Clinton said he was praying Hurricane Georges would spare Florida after its onslaught across the Caribbean. The president was speaking at the White House before leaving in his helicopter for a four-day fund-raising visit for Democrats in Illinois, Texas and California. The trip begins with a visit to a Chicago elementary school, where Clinton will make a pitch for more teachers and classrooms. SOUNDBITE: (English) "For the past several days, Hurricane Georges has torn through the Caribbean, costing many lives. Now, as we speak, the hurricane is bearing down on south Florida. I have spoken several times with Fema (Federal Emergency Management Agency) director James Lee Witt. For the past day an emergency response team has been on the ground, working with the government and the people of Florida to prepare for the storm. We are as ready as we can be and we pray that the human and material cost will be limited. In the coming days we will be working as closely as possible with the state of Florida, to provide whatever assistance will do the most good." SUPER CAPTION: Bill Clinton, U-S President The core of the powerful storm is due to hit U-S shores after killing at least 250 people as it ripped through the Caribbean. Five (m) million people in eight Florida counties are under a hurricane warning, meaning winds of at least 74 mph (120 kph) are possible within hours. A (m) million living along 300 miles (480 kilometers) of coastline around the southern end of the peninsula have been ordered out of low-lying areas and mobile homes. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
