Obama Gives Hope to New Orleans

Marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, President Obama spoke today at Xavier University in New Orleans, pledging to follow through on the city’s rehabilitation efforts “until the job is done,” and issuing strong rejoinders to his predecessor’s administration for allowing the disaster to happen at all. Hurricane Katrina’s devastation “was a manmade catastrophe,” Obama said, “a shameful breakdown in government that left countless men, women, and children abandoned and alone.” On a more positive note, the president listed the progress that has been made, including a newly strengthened levee system and improving scores at public schools. Elsewhere in New Orleans, hundreds of mourners attended a symbolic funeral for the hurricane.