Atoning for Katrina

 

Like a man seeking repentance, George W. Bush keeps going back to New Orleans.

Today marks his 11th visit since Hurricane Katrina lashed 140 mph winds across the Gulf Coast and provoked the worst domestic debacle of his presidency. His own role in the crisis has been much criticized. Remember when Bush told FEMA Director Michael Brown that he was doing "a heck of a job, Brownie" even as New Orleans' residents clung to their rooftops crying out for rescue?

On the eve of the third anniversary of Katrina, Bush plans to note that the federal government -- after initially botching the recovery -- has now poured $126 billion in federal assistance into the Gulf Coast in hopes that businesses, schools and homes can be rebuilt.

There is still a lot of work to do before this city is fully recovered. And for people who are still hurting and not yet back in their homes, a brighter day might seem impossible. Yet a brighter day is coming and it is heralded by hopeful signs of progress.

But Oxfam America, an international relief organization, isn't so sure.

In a report to be released Tuesday, the actual anniversary of Katrina's making landfall, Oxfam reports that more than 35,000 individuals on the Gulf Coast are still living in FEMA trailers and that work has been hard to find, with only 12% of returning African American evacuees able to land jobs. Oxfam president Raymond Offenheiser said in a statement:

Much of the progress has come at the hands of Gulf Coast residents -- in spite of significant hurdles placed in front of them by the federal government. The next administration must act quickly to remove those hurdles so Gulf Coast residents can truly and finally recover after the storms.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo credit: David J. Phillip / Associated Press