Bush pays a visit to New Orleans

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, right, looks on as US President George W. Bush talks to reporters in New Orleans on Thursday, prior to having lunch with elected officials and community leaders. PHOTO: AP

US George W. Bush acknowledged the deep frustration of Hurricane Katrina victims and said the federal government shares the blame for the slow recovery of the Gulf Coast more than a year after the storm.

He gave residents of the battered region a message during his visit on Thursday: "The federal government still knows you exist."

In stops across coastal Mississippi and Louisiana, Bush defended the federal allotment of US$110 billion in relief aid. Of that total, less than half has been spent.

"If it is stuck because of unnecessary bureaucracy, our responsibility at the federal, state and local level is to unstick it," Bush said at Samuel Green Charter School, which recovered from flooding.

In his first visit to the region in six months, Bush sought to fight the perception that those whose lives were devastated by the August 2005 storm had fallen off his agenda. The Bush administration's initial response to the most destructive natural disaster in US history was widely seen as a failure.

And president is still dogged by criticism. Democratic lawmakers are pushing for more action.

"I committed to the people of this part of the world and the Gulf Coast that the federal government would fund recovery -- and stay committed to the recovery," Bush said during his 14th trip to the region. It was his first visit since the one-year anniversary of the storm.

Much New Orleans outside the tourist areas remains in shambles. Violent crime has soared and health care is limited. Many residents are thinking of getting out for good.

On the outskirts of the French Quarter tourist area, Bush had lunch at Li'l Dizzy's Cafe with Louisiana officials. Sitting next to him was New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who has been outspoken in demanding a better federal response. Bush later lauded Nagin as a strong-willed leader.

Exasperated officials said it was telling that Katrina did not get a mention in Bush's State of the Union speech in January.

"If you don't get New Orleans straight, the United States will never be the same," said Wayne Baquet, who owns the cafe where Bush ate. It was flooded and looted during Katrina.

Baquet he worried the nation no longer was paying attention to New Orleans.

"Everybody ought to be on the bandwagon trying to get New Orleans back," he said. "Everybody."

In Washington, some Democrats criticized Bush for not intervening more often.

"Long-term recovery for the Gulf Coast requires a whole lot more than 18 months of empty promises," said Democratic Senator John Kerry. "Businesses that were once the heart of the Gulf Coast economy are now hanging on by a thread."

Kerry legislation offering tax breaks to encourage businesses to build or expand in areas hit by hurricane was a good first step. But, he said, the government's disaster loan program needs to be overhauled, fixing problems that have prevented businesses from getting timely financial assistance.

Bush his trip in Mississippi by touring five homes in a Long Beach neighborhood. He gave an American flag to Ernie and Cheryl Woodward, who rebuilt their home with the help of a federal grant.

"People's lives are improving, and there is hope," he said.