Michael Chertoff Quotes on Work & Career (4 Quotes)

I think the American public is rightly distressed about a situation in which they feel we do not have proper control over our borders, ... We need to have a comprehensive solution and one that really will work.

As part of National Preparedness Month, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the American Red Cross (ARC) have developed a significant amount of information for the public, including daily tips to help people get started preparing today. The devastation and tragic loss of life caused by Hurricane Katrina earlier this week reinforce the urgency of our coalition's work, ... We urge all Americans to take some simple steps to prepare for emergencies, including getting an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan and learning more about how to respond to emergencies that could affect your area.

That alone would be a very catastrophic scenario, ... And although the planning was not complete, a lot of work had been done. But there were two problems here. First of all, it's as if someone took that plan and dropped an atomic bomb simply to make it more difficult. We didn't merely have the overflow, we actually had the break in the wall. And I will tell you that, really, that perfect storm of combination of catastrophes exceeded the foresight of the planners, and maybe anybody's foresight.

Appearing at a news conference in Baton Rouge, La., with Brown at his side, Chertoff announced that he was sending the FEMA director back to Washington in case another storm hits the country and putting Allen in charge. Mike Brown has done everything he possibly could to coordinate the federal response to this unprecedented challenge, ... I appreciate his work, as does everybody here.