News / People
President Bush Travels to New Orleans for Second Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
President George W. Bush toured New Orleans today on the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to see the changes the city has made since it was devastated by floods and wind.
Accompanied by Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, the two went through brand new charter schools to see the education system flourishing. Regardless of Bush's kind gesture to return to the city, there were plenty of reminders of the rifts between the Bush administration and state and local officials on whether enough was being done for New Orleans.
Across town, Mayor Ray Nagin was on hand to ring the bell at the exact moment the first levee broke. Two years ago, during the aftermath of the hurricane, both Nagin and Blanco vehemently criticized the Bush administration for their slow response time during the crisis. They also criticized the inadequacy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and its head, Michael Brown.
Ahead of Mr. Bush’s trip to the Gulf Coast, the White House issued a “fact sheet” detailing $114 billion in relief to the region, not counting $13 billion in tax relief.
Thousands of New Orleans residents have remained transplaced. Many of the residents still believe that levees were intentionally destroyed during the storm to serve as a form of racial purging. The majority of the areas that were most damaged by the floods were Black neighborhoods.
Governor Blanco is in the middle of a scandal herself as the nation is buzzing over the "Jena 6" students at Jena High School in Jena, LA. Six African-American male students were arrested in December 2006 for beating up a white student. However, prior to this incident, black students were harassed and beaten up yet the District Attorney did nothing.
