October 21, 1989
Barbara and I join all Americans in expressing our joy in the news that this afternoon workers at I - 880 in Oakland rescued a victim from Tuesday's earthquake. The miraculous recovery of Buck Helm is a tribute to the thousands of relief workers and volunteers who have been working so tirelessly in the bay area. I am delighted to know that the efforts of some of the heroic workers I met yesterday have now been rewarded with the saving of another life.
George Bush, Statement on the Rescue of Buck Helm in Oakland, California Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/264151