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Bush Pledges Improved Disaster Response NewsMax.com Wires KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine -- President Bush, ahead of next week's anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, says the government is making changes to improve response to national disasters and address the deep-seated poverty the floodwaters exposed. "Last year I made a simple pledge: The federal government would learn the lessons of Katrina, we would do what it takes, and we would stay as long as it takes, to help our brothers and sisters build a new Gulf Coast where every citizen feels part of the great promise of America," Bush said Saturday in his weekly radio address. Following a long, relaxing weekend on the coast of Maine, Bush and Laura Bush are traveling to Mississippi and Louisiana on Monday and Tuesday to meet with local officials and citizens to review progress made since the hurricane struck Aug. 29, 2005. Bush noted the human toll of the storm: More than a thousand deaths. Countless families who lost their homes and livelihoods. Tens of thousands of men, women and children forced to flee the region. "One year after the storms, the Gulf Coast continues down the long road to recovery," Bush said. "In Mississippi and Louisiana, we can see many encouraging signs of recovery and renewal, and many reminders that hard work still lies ahead." The hurricane's immediate aftermath, with its scenes of chaos, desperate refugees and response delays, tarnished Bush's image as a leader. An Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted earlier this month found that 67 percent of Americans disapproved of Bush's handling of the Katrina disaster. Responding to critics who claim the Bush administration responded like molasses, Bush acknowledged in his radio message that Katrina revealed that federal, state and local governments were unprepared to respond to the disaster. That is the message Democrats from across the nation are making as the anniversary approaches. Story Continues Below
They argue that many of the neighborhoods struck by the storm appear today as if the hurricane just hit. Tens of thousands of families still can't return home, and the rebuilding process is only just beginning in many communities, they say. Sensitive to the criticism, the White House says that rebuilding will take time - that the one-year anniversary does not mark a finish line in recovery. Eager to show progress in the region, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings was in New Orleans on Thursday to announce more than $60 million in international donations for Gulf Coast schools and universities. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez was in New Orleans on Friday to portray the city as "open for business" and to attend the reopening of a Home Depot store damaged during the hurricane. The United States has committed $110 billion to the recovery effort and is playing a vital role in helping clear debris, repair and rebuild homes, and reopen businesses and schools, Bush said. Local and state governments need to be the architects of rebuilding efforts, he said. "The federal government will continue to do its part - yet a reborn Gulf Coast must reflect the needs, the vision and the aspirations of the people of Mississippi and Louisiana," Bush said. "And their state and local officials have a responsibility to help set priorities and make tough decisions, so people can plan their futures with confidence."
© 2006 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Editor's note: Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
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