Obama Makes First New Orleans Visit

Four years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the city is slowly re-emerging. "We've got a long way to go, but we've made progress," said Barack Obama on Thursday, in his first visit to New Orleans since his inauguration. "This nation and all the world bore witness to the fact that the damage from Katrina was not caused just by a disaster of nature, but also by a breakdown of government, that government wasn't adequately prepared and we didn't appropriately respond." About 1,500 people still live in temporary housing four years after the storm, and a new flood-protection plan is only one-third finished. Obama also toured the first charter school to reopen in the Ninth Ward, calling the school "an inspiration for this city." Since taking office, $1.4 billion in aid has gone to Louisiana, and an additional $1 billion from the stimulus package went to New Orleans. "We will not forget about New Orleans," Obama said. "We're going to keep on working."