We are facing a storm that most of us have long feared.

I think if Mr. Benson wants to leave, he could have done it a little bit differently. Not right after a major storm when 80 percent of the city is flooded and most of the...

We will have life. We will have commerce. We will have people getting back into their normal modes of operation.

I’m starting to get into the mode of how do we reopen the city,

The federal government, state government and local government did not have the processes, in my opinion, to deal with a storm of this magnitude,

I feel like we’ve gotten everybody’s attention and hopefully they’ll continue to do what they’re doing.

We have to drain this city.

Sure I do, … I’m not going anywhere.

I would take that bet again.

I don’t know what the gentleman did, but whatever he did, he didn’t deserve what I saw on tape.

Who’s going to buy his tickets? I’m not buying one. … I’m not listening to him on the radio. I’m not doing anything with him, … I’m just appalled.

We want you to take this very seriously, … This not a test. This is the real deal. And I don’t want to panic you but I wanted to make sure you understand.

I need a break from politics, that’s for sure. This is the hardest job in America.

[Yesterday the broken city was filled with the noise of Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters and its still partly flooded highways were filled with rescue crews in flat-bottomed boats, searching those sections of the city still...

The palm trees are swaying and we’ve got 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 meters) waves. It’s very, very rough out there,

I’ll be going on in another direction God has for me. I want to ask you to respect my privacy, respect my decision and just respect my right to be by myself.

My conscience is clear,

Over the next 12 to 15 hours, water will rise on the east bank of New Orleans to the levels where some sections of the city which are dry now could see nine or 10...

I’ve gone from anger to despair to seeing us turn the corner, … It’s going to be awful and it’s going to wake the nation up again.

If fire breaks out, we could lose a significant amount of what we cherish in the city,

Chief Compass is loved by many and we will miss him,

He answered my questions, and he appeared to be pretty sincere.

I think it’s going to send a wonderful message to the world that New Orleans is on the road to recovery.

I want to see corporations signing up for conventions, I want to see people coming to visit New Orleans to help us rebound our economy.

With Hurricane Rita behind us, the task at hand is to bring New Orleans back. We want everyone to assess the risks and make an informed decision about re-entry plans.

There’s a breach in the 17th Street Canal.

We are going to lose a significant portion of our population

moving to a much more aggressive position as it relates to temporary housing.

You need to listen very carefully, … For the next two or three months, in this area, there will not be any commerce, at all. No electricity, no restaurants. This is the real deal. It’s...

I’m starting to see rays of light,

start to breathe again.

I don’t know whether it’s the governor’s problem, or it’s the president’s problem, but somebody needs to get … on a plane and sit down, the two of them, and figure this out right now,

It’s such a sad day to come here, … My sympathy goes out to all the families whose loved ones have been identified and also for the families who are still seeking their relatives and...

We anticipate that we could receive a storm surge of three to five feet. The Army Corps of Engineers has made some work to ensure that we can handle that type of storm surge with...

We could receive a storm surge of three to five feet.

The city of New Orleans is in a state of devastation,

If you’re below the flood plain with no insurance, I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of options for you,

I’m taking them out of here as quickly as I can, … I’m not going to sit back and let another one die.

[He conceded that he made] a couple of specific mistakes, … get over their differences and work together.

My heart is heavy tonight,

For God’s sake, shut up and send us somebody.

Let me caution everyone: We have not done the secondary searches in the areas where the water was the highest. So we still have a lot of work to do, and those numbers probably will...

I am encouraging everyone to leave,

I’m going to talk to him about what it’s going to take to keep this city going over the next three months and ask him to support us in the short term,

Let me just say it one more time and make sure everybody understands it … We will rebuild this entire city,

We believe our re-entry plan properly balances safety concerns and the needs of our citizens to begin rebuilding their lives,

I’ll just tell you, I’m not a big FEMA fan.

They’ve been holding the city together for three or four days, almost by themselves — doing everything imaginable, and the toll is just too much for them,

It’s very hot. There is no shade. We need to get provisions to them, … They have zero.

I know we had a little disappointment earlier with some signals we’re getting from Washington but the international community may be able to fill the gap.