USA: U.S. President Bush takes "full responsibility for federal Katrina response", as memorials mark the one year anniversary of the killer storm

Jazz marches, solemn church services, and moments of silence marked the anniversary Tuesday (July 29) of the floods that deluged New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina one year ago. A sole Jazz trumpeter lead a march over a bridge which spans a canal that was overwhelmed by storm surge, flooding New Orleans Lower Ninth Ward Neighbourhood. Community leaders, residents, and military personnel that assisted in the subsequent flood-relief effort participated in the march. Elsewhere, U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush attended a memorial service to commemorate the disaster. Later, at an event at a New Orleans High school, Bush said that he took full responsibility for the federal government's response to the devastation. "As I look out among all of you, I know that there are some people out there that are having a difficult time with today. I am personally having a difficult time with it, but trust me that we will get through it. And we will get through it if we work together. There's never been a disaster like this in the history of this country, and we are hopeful that there will never be a disaster like this ever again," Bush said. Approximately 1,500 people across the U.S. Gulf Coast died due to the storm. New Orleans flooded due to breached levees, and canals that protect the city, which is located below sea-level. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said that the anniversary was a difficult time for him. "As I look out among all of you, I know that there are some people out there that are having a difficult time with today. I am personally having a difficult time with it, but trust me that we will get through it. And we will get through it if we work together. There's never been a disaster like this in the history of this country, and we are hopeful that there will never be a disaster like this ever again," Nagin said. The mayor rang a bell at 0938 Central Time (1438 GMT) to commemorate the time one year ago when the first levee broke. Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005. The storm is attributed with causing the deaths of almost 1,500 people and $80 billion (USD) in damage across the Gulf Coast. A year after the storm, in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, the current population is estimated at 1.17 million compared to 1.42 million before Katrina. Water spilling through breached levees, and overwhelmed canals flooded about 75 percent of the city. In some places, floodwaters were estimated to be 14 feet (4.3 metres) deep. It took 53 days to pump 250 billion gallons (946.4 billion litres) of water out of the city. More than 200,000 people lost their jobs due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Louisiana. In New Orleans, abandoned and destroyed houses still line neighbourhood streets, a year after the catastrophe.

ITN Source | August 30, 2006

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