Bush still contrite a year after Hurricane Katrina

Deutsche Presse Agentur
Published: Saturday August 26, 2006

Washington- Seeking to convey leadership after one of his biggest failures, President George W Bush said Saturday that the US government had learned from the botched disaster response to Hurricane Katrina a year ago and would stay the course in the costly rebuilding effort. Taking up the hurricane's August 29 anniversary in his weekly radio address, Bush renewed earlier admissions that Katrina caught federal, state and local governments "unprepared to respond to such an extraordinary disaster."

Katrina, which flooded the jazz city of New Orleans and wiped out virtually everything along a 125-mile stretch of Mississippi coast, exposed glaring breakdowns in the nation's emergency response system and undermined Bush's image as a strong leader in an era of crisis.

The government's slow, disorganized response raised questions about US preparedness for another major terrorist attack, since the problems centred on the vast Homeland Security Department created after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Bush said the government had reviewed its response to natural disasters "and we're making reforms that will improve our response to future emergencies."

More than 1,800 people died from Katrina. In one of the biggest challenges, engineers have rebuilt and strengthened more than 300 kilometres of flood barriers and pumps protecting New Orleans against storm surges.

But wrecked houses, displaced people and poverty in New Orleans and elsewhere are reminders that rebuilding has struggled despite 110 billion dollars in federal aid.

Bush plans to travel to the region Monday and Tuesday to mark the hurricane's first anniversary, following up on 12 earlier visits to the area.

"One year after the storms, the Gulf Coast continues down the long road to recovery," he said Saturday. "We can see many encouraging signs of recovery and renewal, and many reminders that hard work still lies ahead."

"We will stay until the job is done," he said.

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agenteur