OAK BLUFFS, Mass. � President Barack Obama marked the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Saturday by pledging to make sure that turf wars and red tape don"t slow the pace of the continuing recovery.He also said he would visit New Orleans by years" end.
In his weekly radio and Internet address, the president noted that the Bush administration"s response to the killer storm raised questions among people in the U.S. about whether the government "could fulfill its responsibility to respond in a crisis."
He said he wanted to ensure "that the legacy of a terrible storm is a country that is safer and more prepared for the challenges that may come."
Since taking office, Obama has sent 11 members of the Cabinet to the region to inspect progress and to hear local ideas on how to speed up repairs.
"Our approach is simple: Government must keep its responsibility to the people, so that Americans have the opportunity to take responsibility for their future," Obama said in his address, released during his vacation on Martha"s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts.
Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, killing more than 1,600 people in Louisiana and Mississippi and leaving behind more than $40 billion in property damage. Hurricane Rita followed almost a month later, with billions of dollars in additional damage and at least 11 more deaths.
Obama acknowledged that recovery has not come at an acceptable pace. LinkHere
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Obama wins praise for Katrina
Jindal and Rainwater said the previous administration often wouldn"t recognize new information or acknowledge there were real disputes. Sometimes, Rainwater said, Bush officials seemed blind to the devastation around them and said they had to be good stewards of public money. LinkHere
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