Obama Pledges Katrina Aid on Tragic Anniversary
President says he'll visit New Orleans within the year
Updated 7:06 AM EDT, Sat, Aug 29, 2009
President Barack Obama vowed Saturday in his weekly address not to forget the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, speaking on the fourth anniversary of the tragic disaster that killed more than 1,600 people as it rampaged through New Orleans.
"None of us can forget how we felt when those winds battered the shore, the floodwaters began to rise and Americans were stranded on rooftops and in stadiums," Obama said from Martha's Vineyard, where he is vacationing with the First Family.
Obama, who has already sent 11 Cabinet members to New Orleans to monitor progress, said he would visit New Orleans before the end of the year -- and that he wouldn't tolerate bureaucratic nit-picking get in the way of improvement.
"Government must be a partner, not an opponent, in getting things done," he said.
Katrina barreled into New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005 and left more than $40 billion in property damage to areas of Louisiana and Mississippi.
Read more: The Associated Press
First Published: Aug 29, 2009 5:39 AM EDT
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