This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/27/barack-obama-new-orleans-hurricane-katrina
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Obama in New Orleans recalls 'natural disaster that became a manmade one' | Obama in New Orleans recalls 'natural disaster that became a manmade one' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Calling hurricane Katrina a disaster “that laid bare a deeper tragedy,” President Barack Obama made his ninth visit to New Orleans as president on Thursday, to mark the 10th anniversary of the historic storm. | |
| Related: Uneven Katrina recovery leaves Lower Ninth Ward with little love for presidents | Related: Uneven Katrina recovery leaves Lower Ninth Ward with little love for presidents |
| In a speech in the Lower Ninth Ward, Obama said the city “had long been plagued by structural inequalities that left too many people, especially poor people, especially people of color, without good jobs or affordable healthcare or decent housing.” | |
| “What started out as a natural disaster became a manmade one – a failure of government to look out for its own citizens,” Obama said, before touting government efforts to rebuild the city and region. | |
| An estimated 80% of New Orleans, much of which lies below sea level, was flooded in the storm and from levee breaches that followed. Health officials counted at least 971 dead in Louisiana from the storm, and a similar number died in other coastal states. | An estimated 80% of New Orleans, much of which lies below sea level, was flooded in the storm and from levee breaches that followed. Health officials counted at least 971 dead in Louisiana from the storm, and a similar number died in other coastal states. |
| Resentment in the region has lingered over a dithering initial response to the disaster by the federal emergency management agency (Fema), by perceived disparity in relief efforts that have led some areas to recover more quickly than others, and by difficulty for some residents in accessing relief funds. | Resentment in the region has lingered over a dithering initial response to the disaster by the federal emergency management agency (Fema), by perceived disparity in relief efforts that have led some areas to recover more quickly than others, and by difficulty for some residents in accessing relief funds. |
| Obama highlighted tens of billions of federal dollars that have been funneled to the region to restore coastal areas, rebuild hospitals, homes and schools, and improve emergency response infrastructure. | Obama highlighted tens of billions of federal dollars that have been funneled to the region to restore coastal areas, rebuild hospitals, homes and schools, and improve emergency response infrastructure. |
| More needs to be done, Obama said. | |
| “We acknowledge this loss and this pain, not to dwell on the past, not to wallow in grief. We do it to fortify our commitment and to bolster our hope. To understand what we’ve learned, and how far we’ve come. | |
| “Because this is a city that slowly, unmistakably, together, is moving forward. Because the project of rebuilding here wasn’t simply to restore the city as it had been. It was to build a city as it should be – a city where everyone, no matter who they are or what they look like or how much money they’ve got, where they’re born – has a chance to make it. | |
| “On this larger project, a stronger more robust New Orleans, the progress that you have made is remarkable.” | |
| Leo Watermeier, a longtime resident of North Rampart Street in the French Quarter and community activist, told the Guardian in an email that “I agree we’re moving forward.” | |
| “The influx of new people after Katrina has brought a new energy, that’s both pushing for needed changes and respectful of our traditions,” Watermeier said. “Looking at the pictures of of the storm’s aftermath, it’s almost unbelievable how far we’ve come – the magnitude of destruction still amazes.” | |
| The president spent the afternoon touring New Orleans, talking with residents and paying a visit to a new recreation center in the Lower Ninth Ward, one of the hardest-hit areas during the storm and flooding that followed. | The president spent the afternoon touring New Orleans, talking with residents and paying a visit to a new recreation center in the Lower Ninth Ward, one of the hardest-hit areas during the storm and flooding that followed. |
| Louisiana’s Governor Bobby Jindal, who accompanied the president on a 2012 trip to the city to inspect damage from hurricane Isaac, greeted Obama with a quick handshake. The president’s entourage included the former housing and urban development secretary Shaun Donovan, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Senator Bill Cassidy. | Louisiana’s Governor Bobby Jindal, who accompanied the president on a 2012 trip to the city to inspect damage from hurricane Isaac, greeted Obama with a quick handshake. The president’s entourage included the former housing and urban development secretary Shaun Donovan, Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Senator Bill Cassidy. |
| Related: Obama visits Tremé 10 years after Katrina hit New Orleans – in pictures | Related: Obama visits Tremé 10 years after Katrina hit New Orleans – in pictures |
| Obama made an early stop in Tremé, one of the country’s oldest African American neighborhoods, to visit residents on their stoops, take pictures and hold babies. The president passed a downtown medical district with state and veterans’ hospitals that received significant government funding, according to the New Orleans Advocate. | Obama made an early stop in Tremé, one of the country’s oldest African American neighborhoods, to visit residents on their stoops, take pictures and hold babies. The president passed a downtown medical district with state and veterans’ hospitals that received significant government funding, according to the New Orleans Advocate. |
| Obama greeted resident Leah Chase, 92, and her husband Edgar Chase Jr in front of their home, according to a White House pool report. Chase, in a wheelchair, told the president that she was proud of him. | Obama greeted resident Leah Chase, 92, and her husband Edgar Chase Jr in front of their home, according to a White House pool report. Chase, in a wheelchair, told the president that she was proud of him. |
| “I am so proud of him,” she later told reporters. “He’s done a good job. He knew it was going to be a rough road. He handled it. And that’s all you have to do: handle what’s handed to you.” | “I am so proud of him,” she later told reporters. “He’s done a good job. He knew it was going to be a rough road. He handled it. And that’s all you have to do: handle what’s handed to you.” |
| Obama paid tribute to the area in remarks to reporters. “The Faubourg Lafitte area in Tremé is part of one of the most historic districts in New Orleans and Louisiana and America,” he said. “A lot of folks think this is where jazz really first started taking root. It is obviously close to downtown and the French Quarter, one of the most important historic African American communities in the country.” | |
| The president had lunch at Willie Mae’s Scotch House, a Tremé restaurant whose fried chicken has been touted as the best on Earth. | The president had lunch at Willie Mae’s Scotch House, a Tremé restaurant whose fried chicken has been touted as the best on Earth. |
| #POTUS for lunch https://t.co/ozt421vVqW | #POTUS for lunch https://t.co/ozt421vVqW |
| Since Katrina, the state has embarked on a multibillion-dollar master plan to restore and protect its coastline from flooding and storms, with significant federal support. Building on allotments by the George W Bush administration, Obama has brought federal spending on the regional recovery to $71bn. | Since Katrina, the state has embarked on a multibillion-dollar master plan to restore and protect its coastline from flooding and storms, with significant federal support. Building on allotments by the George W Bush administration, Obama has brought federal spending on the regional recovery to $71bn. |
| The department of education has invested more than $100m in the state since 2009, according to a fact sheet provided by the White House. | The department of education has invested more than $100m in the state since 2009, according to a fact sheet provided by the White House. |
| Part of the ongoing regional recovery is to be funded with payments tied to a separate disaster. Last month, BP agreed to pay a record environmental fine of $18.7bn to settle legal actions brought by the US and several states over the fatal 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. About half of that settlement was allotted for recovery and rebuilding efforts in Louisiana. | Part of the ongoing regional recovery is to be funded with payments tied to a separate disaster. Last month, BP agreed to pay a record environmental fine of $18.7bn to settle legal actions brought by the US and several states over the fatal 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. About half of that settlement was allotted for recovery and rebuilding efforts in Louisiana. |
| Scientists have warned that a rising sea level poses a long-term threat to coastal restoration in Louisiana and elsewhere. On Wednesday Nasa announced that the sea level is rising at a rate of 3mm a year and that the rate is increasing. | Scientists have warned that a rising sea level poses a long-term threat to coastal restoration in Louisiana and elsewhere. On Wednesday Nasa announced that the sea level is rising at a rate of 3mm a year and that the rate is increasing. |
| Former presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton were also scheduled to visit New Orleans in the coming days. | Former presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton were also scheduled to visit New Orleans in the coming days. |
| On board Air Force One on the flight from Washington to New Orleans, Donna Brazile, the Democratic strategist, New Orleans native and former member of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, told reporters that Bush had gotten a bad rap for his handling of the recovery. | On board Air Force One on the flight from Washington to New Orleans, Donna Brazile, the Democratic strategist, New Orleans native and former member of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, told reporters that Bush had gotten a bad rap for his handling of the recovery. |
| “I’m one of those individuals that believes that under President Bush’s leadership we got it right,” Brazile said. “It was slow. Remember, the state and local government was overwhelmed. The federal government had to step in. The federal government had to figure out its role. It took a while for the federal government to really figure out how to help us. | “I’m one of those individuals that believes that under President Bush’s leadership we got it right,” Brazile said. “It was slow. Remember, the state and local government was overwhelmed. The federal government had to step in. The federal government had to figure out its role. It took a while for the federal government to really figure out how to help us. |
| “And I think once the president made the decision that New Orleans would be rebuilt, despite some of the conversation on Capitol Hill that didn’t believe that the federal government should invest hundreds of billions of dollars into the recovery effort, the president made a commitment and I think he kept his word.” | “And I think once the president made the decision that New Orleans would be rebuilt, despite some of the conversation on Capitol Hill that didn’t believe that the federal government should invest hundreds of billions of dollars into the recovery effort, the president made a commitment and I think he kept his word.” |
Previous version
1
Next version