Craig Fugate Quotations

Until we really understand why people ... don't prepare and what it takes to get that message across, then I think that's going to be our challenge.

We're slowing the process down. A large-scale disaster will occur and there will be another hue and cry about why we were not able to get the aid faster.

We're going to have every pump, every sandbag out there. The only question is where do we put them.

In the Keys, a lot of people are stubborn.

Florida feels we owe a great debt to our neighboring states.

The state team is committed to working with our federal partners in meeting the needs of Floridians who were affected by Hurricane Wilma. We want to be as thorough as possible in this vital endeavor.

We want to build an air bridge to Key West should the roads be compromised.

We did not have enough product reach the areas in the timely manner that we wished to occur.

Many homes were impacted and shelters were opened, ... In some of these neighborhoods, till the water goes down, people are not going to be able to get back in their homes and start making repairs.

Many of the field hands who manage, pick and process these crops will be impacted through the loss of their jobs,

Max was very concerned that this hurricane was going to cross the state, that the winds were going to go far inland.

Max understands that his mission is not to produce the perfect forecast, but to change the outcome of the event.

I don't want a system so rigid that the actual victims who need the help are penalized. It's almost like a no-win situation.

I will almost guarantee you that somebody is going to die this weekend.

Our goal is to move not hundreds of miles, but tens of miles.

Our recommendations have not changed since I've been here we need to get people to evacuate from storm surge, ... If you're not in that evacuation zone, the safest place for you may be in your home.

The approaches to bridges are at the greatest risk of scouring from the storm surge. The National Guard is going to take a Hummer with satellite communications and drive all the way down to Mile Marker 0. They're just waiting for the winds to start dropping.

We've got roughly four to six million people right now who are experiencing hurricane or tropical storm-force winds.

We've got roughly 4 to 6 million people right now who are experiencing hurricane or tropical storm-force winds.

Unlike the public and business is prepared, government cannot do this alone.

We haven't had any serious injuries or loss of life, and we'd like to keep it that way,

This naturally occurring event has overtaken our ability to stop its progression.

To me the risk of what happened in Mississippi and what happened in Louisiana is always the worst-case scenario.

This storm has some potential to it. The time to go is now.

The previous hurricanes had depleted the national supply.

We'd be looking at what differences there is in the population, building codes. Is it construction or people action? Why did people evacuate in one part and not another? . . ..

To a lot of people that would be an insult. They have been publicly out looking at how many different names and everyone turned it down and they come back and ask you?

To a lot of people that would be an insult.

We will not wait for the winds to stop blowing, we won't wait for the sky to turn blue.

Use caution. This is still a very dangerous situation.

We do not want people to let their guard down. That's when we have the greatest number of deaths.

Even if you have insurance, you should apply by January 5th if your home or business suffered damage from Hurricane Wilma. You may find that you still have needs after your insurance settlement and you may qualify for financial assistance in the form of a low-interest disaster loan or grant.

Even if you have insurance, you should apply by Jan. 5 if your home or business suffered damage from Hurricane Wilma.

As it is currently designed, the program is not achieving the outcome it should. We've asked FEMA several times if this program can be scaled back, and be run more upon need.

Do us a favor. Stay out and off the water, where the coastal hazards are extreme. Heed evacuation orders if it becomes necessary later on.

The time of preparing is rapidly moving into time of action,

It would be like a weed whacker going up the coast

The state does not have the capability to provide financial assistance to disaster victims.

You're in a phenomenon ... it's sort of like a hurricane, you're not going to stop it with what the (existing) resources are.

This important step puts us closer to getting this vital element of our 'culture of preparedness' plan into motion before the start of the 2006 Hurricane Season.

Also know FL is providing law enforcement. Need all you can send. Public safety major concern (looting etc.) Have used Dixie Co. body bags (250) got more?

It's easy to play the blame game, find a scapegoat, but no one person could be responsible for the challenges we face and the lives lost.

It's right there along the coast. That's why it's extremely important that people heed and monitor the situation.

It needs to be an evolving document. We need to learn quickly and apply it to the next storm.

It's important to recognize that we need to get our communities back on their feet quickly,

I've heard comments made in other disasters that the first thing they did was throw the plan away because the plan was worthless. A plan should not be some requirement. It should truly reflect what your real needs are, and what your real resources are.

The intent of the program was not to provide you a generator for free. We don't want fraud and waste in our programs.

The last thing you would want is to have people housed in shelters, or later in trailers and mobile homes that would be the first things you have to evacuate in the event of another hurricane,

I implore people to understand that although this storm is not an immediate threat to any of the inland areas of the state, it is definitely a hazard for marine interests along the coast,

In Martin County, many homes were impacted and shelters were opened, and they're continuing to provide those services as we assess what the impact is, ... And really, some of these neighborhoods -- until the water goes down -- people are not going to get back into their homes and start making repairs.

This is also the time when surfers will go to the coast, and I will almost guarantee you somebody is going to drown this weekend. Again, use caution.

All I can tell people in the Keys who are trying to ride this one out is one of these days your luck is going to run out.

The damage identified in the requested counties is not beyond the combined capabilities of the state and affected local governments,

The earliest we're going to see significant impact from the storm appears to be Friday afternoon, but people should not wait, ... It's time to act.