Bush Assures Americans After Power Outage

President Bush said Thursday that people affected by the huge power blackout may not see their lives return to normal right away.

Aug. 14, 2003

SAN DIEGO (AP) _ President Bush said Thursday that people affected by the huge power blackout may not see their lives return to normal right away but ``slowly but surely we're coping with this massive, national problem.''

``I have been working with federal officials to make sure the response to this situation was quick and thorough and I believe it has been,'' Bush told reporters at downtown hotel during a two-day California trip.

But, the president said, state and local officials have not asked the federal government for much help as of yet.

Bush credited local and state emergency officials with quickly getting a handle on the problem.

``We're better organized today to deal with an emergency than we were 2 1/2 years ago,'' he said.

He also said it ``has been remarkable to watch on TV'' how calmly individuals reacted.

Bush said the first priority would be to deal with the consequences of the blackout. ``We're offering all the help they need to help people cope with the blackout,'' he said.