Bush sees rebirth from ‘sadness’ of Katrina

NEW ORLEANS - President Bush called the anniversary of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina “a moment of great sadness” Tuesday but said it would be the springboard of a great renewal for the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The president acknowledged in an interview airing Tuesday night on “NBC Nightly News” that the government response to the hurricane, which killed more than 1,600 people a year ago, was inadequate. To this day, he said, New Orleans is “still a mess.”

“I think we should have had better coordination with the state and local government,” he told “Nightly News” anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams. “The enormity of the storm just overwhelmed all aspects of the government.

“I believe had we been better coordinated — communicated better, moved equipment better, coordinated better on who’s responsible for troops — we could have done a better job,” he said.

As he toured a rebuilding site in New Orleans after helping the city remember the catastrophe at a candlelight service in the morning, Bush said bluntly, “I admit that there were failures.” 

‘A commitment that means something’
Bush reflected on the sadness he had seen in the last two days marking the anniversary. The people of Louisiana and Mississippi “remember their loved ones. They remember the destruction. They remember the despair,” he said. “But I came to say to people that although a year has gone by, it’s really the beginning of the renewal and rebuilding.”

And he said local communities could count on him to do everything he could to make sure the government did its part. He said his administration had committed to spend $110 billion to rebuild scarred areas, and “$110 billion is a lot of money.”

“When it’s all said and done, the people down here know that I stood in Jackson Square [a year ago] and said, ‘We’re going to help you,’ and we delivered,” he said. “What matters is that we help the good people here rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, and we’re going to do that.

“You know, commitments in politics sometimes mean nothing,” Bush added. “I made a commitment that means something.”

Silence at 9:38 a.m.
Bush spoke with NBC News after he and his wife, Laura, lighted candles of remembrance, then slid into the front pew of St. Louis Cathedral in the untouched French Quarter, which survived Katrina’s cyclonic winds.

Chris Graythen / Getty Images New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, at a ceremony outside New Orleans City Hall, rings a bell at 9:38 a.m. to signify the time of the first levee breach by Hurricane Katrina, one year ago.

At 9:38 a.m. Central time, they knelt for a moment of silence to mark the first breaching of the levees, which were supposed to have protected the city from the massive flooding brought on by Katrina.

Bush was applauded loudly when he promised to ask Congress for legislation that would give Louisiana a bigger share of royalties from offshore oil and gas drilling. The state now receives less than 2 percent of the royalties, and Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Louisiana’s congressional delegation are demanding more.

The president also said the city’s rebirth must include improvements to the poor-performing school system. Laura Bush, in remarks introducing the president, urged teachers nationwide to come to the region to teach.

“We know that families can’t move back unless there’s schools for the kids, and so education is one of the most important parts of the recovery,” the first lady said.

“This city occupies a unique place in America’s cultural landscape, and the recovery won’t be complete until New Orleanians return home and their culture is restored,” she said.

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