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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Bush marks two years from Katrina | Bush marks two years from Katrina |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| US President George W Bush has praised the people of New Orleans and insisted the city will fully recover, two years after being hit by Hurricane Katrina. | US President George W Bush has praised the people of New Orleans and insisted the city will fully recover, two years after being hit by Hurricane Katrina. |
| "Better days are ahead," the president told an audience at a school in one of the districts flooded in 2005, before heading to neighbouring Mississippi. | "Better days are ahead," the president told an audience at a school in one of the districts flooded in 2005, before heading to neighbouring Mississippi. |
| In the wake of the storm Mr Bush vowed to "do what it takes" to rebuild the city, but he has since faced criticism. | In the wake of the storm Mr Bush vowed to "do what it takes" to rebuild the city, but he has since faced criticism. |
| Katrina killed 1,600 people in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi. | Katrina killed 1,600 people in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi. |
| The storm made landfall as a strong Category Three hurricane at 0610 on 29 August 2005 and flooded some 80% of the city after levees broke under the pressure of the storm. | The storm made landfall as a strong Category Three hurricane at 0610 on 29 August 2005 and flooded some 80% of the city after levees broke under the pressure of the storm. |
| Spirit | Spirit |
| Mr Bush observed a moment of silence at the Dr Martin Luther King Charter School for Math and Science, the first school to reopen in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward, one of the areas most affected by the flooding. | |
| [People] want to send a message to politicians that they want them to do more and do it faster Rev Marshall TruehillBaptist pastor Volunteers key to recovery Audio slideshow: Storm blues | [People] want to send a message to politicians that they want them to do more and do it faster Rev Marshall TruehillBaptist pastor Volunteers key to recovery Audio slideshow: Storm blues |
| "Hurricane Katrina broke the levees, it broke a lot of hearts, it destroyed buildings, but it didn't affect the spirit of this community," he said in a speech after the ceremony. | |
| Mr Bush listed federal government moves to get the ravaged city back on its feet, including the $114bn (£57bn) allocated for the relief and rebuilding efforts. | |
| He spoke of plans to redesign the city's levee system to provide "100-year flood defences" by 2012, adding: "New Orleans cannot rebuild until there is confidence in the levees." | |
| There are plans to regenerate wetlands along the Mississippi delta which can help reduce the impact of future storms, the president said, and to install a $1.3bn drainage system in New Orleans. | |
| After speaking the president was then due to travel on to a community centre in Bay St Louis, Mississippi. | |
| Across the region hit by the storm, churches are holding memorial services and ring bells in honour of the victims. | Across the region hit by the storm, churches are holding memorial services and ring bells in honour of the victims. |
| In New Orleans, public officials will attend a groundbreaking at Charity Hospital for a victims' memorial and a mausoleum that will house the remains of more than 100 victims still not identified. | In New Orleans, public officials will attend a groundbreaking at Charity Hospital for a victims' memorial and a mausoleum that will house the remains of more than 100 victims still not identified. |
| At dusk, a candlelit vigil will be held in Jackson Square. | At dusk, a candlelit vigil will be held in Jackson Square. |
| Resentment | Resentment |
| The president arrived in the region on Tuesday, meeting Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin at the city's famous Dooky Chase restaurant. | The president arrived in the region on Tuesday, meeting Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin at the city's famous Dooky Chase restaurant. |
| Katrina was the one of the worst natural disasters in US history | Katrina was the one of the worst natural disasters in US history |
| He praised the people of New Orleans, and singled out the "social entrepreneurs" - among them athletes, artists, musicians and developers - who sat around the table with him. | He praised the people of New Orleans, and singled out the "social entrepreneurs" - among them athletes, artists, musicians and developers - who sat around the table with him. |
| The Bush administration was widely criticised by local residents who felt abandoned in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. | The Bush administration was widely criticised by local residents who felt abandoned in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. |
| There is still resentment at the slow pace of reconstruction, and protests are planned in New Orleans. | There is still resentment at the slow pace of reconstruction, and protests are planned in New Orleans. |
| The front page of the local Times-Picayune newspaper on Wednesday carried a leader article alleging that Louisiana has been treated unfairly by the federal government. | |
| "People are angry, and they want to send a message to politicians that they want them to do more and do it faster," Rev Marshall Truehill, a Baptist pastor, told the Associated Press news agency. | "People are angry, and they want to send a message to politicians that they want them to do more and do it faster," Rev Marshall Truehill, a Baptist pastor, told the Associated Press news agency. |