Brain Trust - Phil Bryant

Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant came on The Matt Friedeman Show to discuss Mississippi's reaction to Hurricane Katrina in light of recent natural disasters. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

I saw a poll recently saying that people are skeptical of federal money coming in after natural disasters. Did that concern you after Katrina?

I was very concerned about it. You're looking at almost 30 billion dollars along that Gulf Coast after Katrina came through.

What is remarkable to me is that the taxpayers understand that federal dollars cannot fix everything.

Believe me, to see the public finally saying that federal money cannot sold every problem will help conservatives like myself when we have to say no to federal spending.

What were some lessons we learned from that situation?

What you've got to do is have an early response. As a matter of fact, you have to have a plan in place before the disaster hits.

Here in Mississippi we've got contractors, First Responders, relief teams, and emergency communicators .

That first 48 hours are so critical to be able to save lives with search and rescue.

We have learned to not think we can stick it out on our own.

And then to begin the recovery process. You have to have an emergency plan in place.

You have to know how you deal with the lack of food, water, electricity.

I think Mississippi has done a great job with that.