Blog: Work Remains Six Years Later

Statement

Six years ago today, Hurricane Katrina blew into our state tearing apart our families, neighborhoods, communities and cities. I spent that night on full alert in the Emergency Operations Center with other government officials and emergency staff. My wife and family were at home when the hurricane hit. Like many others who had to leave for safety, my family and many friends moved to public shelter to ride out the duration of the worst natural disaster our state has ever experienced.

Once the winds died down, I grabbed a chain saw and--along with others in the center--began to cut our way through the trees and debris. We immediately started clearing the streets, searching and rescuing people, and making sure that everyone was okay. Then, I began working to return to a sense of normalcy as quickly as possible.

Today, much work remains, not just for our coast but for all of Mississippi. The Gulf Coast has built back higher, stronger, better. Yet, the insurance companies fail to give credit for everything we've done. Property insurance remains a major obstacle to our full recovery for homeowners and small business owners.

While the insurance commissioner's job is to regulate the industry, my job as governor is to set insurance policy. As Governor, we will work to find a solution to this insurance crisis to ensure our home and small business owners have what they need to thrive.

Beyond the coast, we must also work to build a stronger economy. Government must foster an environment where businesses can thrive and create good jobs for our citizens. Because 95 percent of job-creators are small businesses, we believe we should offer small businesses the same kinds of incentives we offer large corporations. Using this approach, we created more than 6,000 jobs in Hattiesburg in the 10 years I've been mayor.

But everything starts with an educated society. As Governor, we will push to restructure our educational system. When you restructure something, it looks different than when you started. That's why this campaign introduced the Mississippi Educational Restructuring Program, which includes:

* $85 million in tax cuts for teachers and parents
* Graduation Coaches in every Secondary School
* And public-private partnerships for a statewide early childhood development program

Finally, on this sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, let us not forget the people in the northeast who today face the same things in the wake of Hurricane Irene that we faced in 2005.
Please join us as we seek ways to work together to Make Mississippi First.

Sincerely,
Johnny DuPree

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