Bush set to remember Katrina

2006-08-28 09:48

Washington - President George W Bush prepared to mark the anniversary of the hurricane that still haunts his presidency with worries that a new storm could bring this year's first test of his promises that the botched post-Katrina response will not be repeated.

As Ernesto cut a path through the Caribbean, Bush prepared for a visit on Monday and Tuesday to the region that is little recovered from hurricane Katrina's devastating strike last August.

Florida threatened

Forecasters believe Ernesto, which grew into the first hurricane of the season on Sunday and then weakened back to a tropical storm, will emerge with some force into the Gulf of Mexico later this week.

The latest tracking indicated the system would most threaten southern and western Florida, a predication that seemed to shift New Orleans out of the expected danger zone.

Tarnished image

Regardless, with Bush's image as a leader still tarnished by the halting federal response to Katrina, the president sought to make clear he was engaged in Ernesto while he vacationed over the weekend at his family's summer home on the Maine coast.

Aides noted he was briefed regularly on the storm and said White House representatives were co-ordinating with emergency management officials.

Storm victims failed

A poll earlier this month found two-thirds of Americans still disapprove of the president's handling of Katrina.

Democrats are converging on the Gulf along with Bush, intending to make the case that the president and his Republican Party should be held accountable for failing storm victims - not just at first, but still.

- AP