The city will not be functional for two or three months.

It?s going to be awful and it?s going to wake the nation up again.

I don’t want anyone outside of New Orleans telling us how to plan this city,

If we get a storm like Ivan to hit us directly or come really close to us we could have a situation where we have 12 to 18 feet (3.6 to 5.5 meters) of water...

For them to be openly talking to other cities about moving is disrespectful to the citizens of New Orleans, disrespectful to the Saints fans who have hung in with this franchise through 30-something years under...

I’m going to announce a phased repopulation plan that is going to deal with some of the areas that were least hit by the hurricane and had less water, and then within the next week...

One of the best moments I’ve ever had in New Orleans is seeing Bourbon Street filled on a weekend night not long ago. Just watching the city breathe again.

I think it was awful, … I was surprised that it happened frankly. I don’t know what the gentleman (Davis) did but whatever he did, he did not … deserve what I saw on tape...

The strategy is to repopulate the city in the safest areas for now, to get enough critical mass so that the economics start to flow,

people are taking the necessary steps to leave the city of New Orleans.

We want you to come prepared with your eyes wide open as it relates to what you might see,

This storm really scares me,

I do think the pleas for help basically got the nation’s attention, and the nation’s attention got everybody to stop and reevaluate what was going on, including the president,

Numbers so far are relatively minor as compared to the dire projections of 10,000.

the new crowned federal mayor of New Orleans.

I wish I didn’t have to do this. I wish we had the money, the resources to keep these people, … The problem we have is we have no revenue streams.

[In an address to business owners and contractors during a] Back to Business … How do I ensure that New Orleans is not overrun by Mexican workers?

It’s a good time to run for mayor because it’ll be less poor, less black, less democratic.

The levee system is still in a weakened condition,

We are in lockdown mode now,

I’ve got some firefighters and police officers that have been pretty much traumatized.

This is a sad day in the city of New Orleans when you have a hero to make a decision such as this,

The water will rise to try and equal the water level of the lake which is three feet above sea level.

There’s fire coming out of the water, … It’s the weirdest thing you’ll ever see.

I’m going to be a man about this. Whatever I did, whatever I could have done better, I’m going to stand up and history will judge me accordingly,

We’re at a time in our history right now where we can move our state forward as never seen before or we can continue to languish in mediocrity and complacency, … I choose to move...

As we move forward with rebuilding, we are taking steps to accommodate business while also ensuring public safety,

Thanks to a lot of partners, we are implementing a low cost solution that creates government efficiency and gives citizens free Internet access,

When people are dying, bureaucracy should be thrown out of the water.

The reality is this city will not be the same for a while, … We’re not saying bring New Orleans back today.

The model that we ‘ re looking for to rebuild this city, is to keep New Orleans unique culturally, unique musically, unique from a people perspective, but economically as strong as an Atlanta, where you...

I do not want to create panic, but I do want the citizens to understand that this is very serious and it’s of the highest nature and that’s why we’ve taken this unprecedented move,

The sun is shining, … We’re bringing New Orleans back, and this is our first step.

This is a desperate SOS, … Right now we are out of resources at the convention center and don’t anticipate enough buses.

The sounds of New Orleans were jazz, people laughing, people eating a good meal, … And now the sounds of New Orleans are helicopters and army vehicles. This is almost surreal.

We will not go bankrupt,

feeding people a line of bull.

We have an incredible opportunity right now … I don’t know of anything else we can do at this point in time.

Get people to higher ground and have the feds and the state airlift supplies to them — that was the plan, man,

The reality of Katrina didn’t really strike me until the first time I flew up in a helicopter and saw areas of the city that I had ridden my bicycle as a youth being fully...

I understand wanting to stay in their homes, not wanting to give up on New Orleans,

I’ve talked directly with the president, I’ve talked to the head of the Homeland Security, I’ve talked to everybody under the sun, I’ve been out there.

We want you to take this very seriously,

The more we learn, the more challenging this day becomes,

The real issue, that I don’t think the nation is paying attention to,

We’re starting to make the kind of progress that I kind of expected earlier,

I keep hearing that it’s coming. This is coming. That is coming. My answer to that is: B.S.,

If he’s suggesting I’m pushing a little hard, I am. The citizens of New Orleans deserve the opportunity to see what they have left and what they can salvage,

I have to deal with the reality.

It is important for people to see their homes and move forward with the process of building a new future for their families,