Bush to visit flood zone

   

After a morning briefing on the floods in the Midwest, President Bush announced he will be traveling to Iowa with a team of federal officials on Thursday. The trip comes amid fears that with floodwaters moving South, the Mississippi River could crest in river towns in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.

In remarks to reporters, Bush said the administration will work with Congress to make sure there's "enough but not too much" money in the emergency disaster relief fund. And he announced that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff will create a housing task force to work with officials to get people back into homes. "I fully understand when people are upset when they lose their home," said Bush, who added that federal officials will also monitor losses to ranchers and farmers. "I've been to too many disasters as president," he said. "I've learned that the American citizen can overcome."

The White House announcement comes one day after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that despite an infusion of $7.1 billion in new funds to the Army Corps of Enginners since Hurricane Katrina, a Category 2 or higher hurricane could still breach the levees in New Orleans. This year's annual report of storm surge predictions, said the Associated Press, is the first to use global positioning system technology.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Comments

[Trevor]

"I've been to too many disasters as president," he said.

Really. Do tell.