Ray Nagin

New Orleans is not asking for a handout we're asking for a hand up,

With Hurricane Rita behind us, the task at hand is to bring New Orleans back. We want people to return and help us rebuild the city,

I think the president is really focused on the job at hand, and they are really starting to move, ... On almost anything that I want to do now, I get a nearly instantaneous response.

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.

because it's a health risk.

I would like everyone to get out because it's a health risk. Mosquitoes that are biting dead people are starting to fly,

I'm tired of hearing these helicopters. I want to hear some jazz.

I am tired of hearing these helicopters. I wanna hear some jazz, ... awesome.

I am not hearing anyone else come up with anything,

My heart is heavy tonight,

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,

History is going to judge us on that one,

It's almost like a nightmare, that I hope we wake up from,

We had people trapped on roofs, et cetera ... and they didn't know about it That's just impossible.

This is one leadership team. We may not always agree. But we have one mission and that is to bring New Orleans back,

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

I'm cautiously optimistic. I want to see it happen (Saturday). I want to see it happen next week. Then, when I see consistency of delivery, I'll feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm starting to see rays of light,

You have drug addicts that are now walking around this city looking for a fix, and that's the reason why they were breaking in hospitals and drugstores. They're looking for something to take the edge off of their jones, if you will.

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

If we're unified, there's nothing we cannot do.

Get off your ass and get down here to fix the goddamn biggest disaster in the nation's history.

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

People are saying it's too early to bring back jazz, the gumbo and the red beans, ... If it's too early, when is the right time

Now is not the time to change leadership. I ask the citizens of New Orleans to let me continue this important job of rebuilding our city.