Obama Promises Continued Support for Katrina & BP Victims

President Obama visited the people of New Orleans yesterday, August 29, 2010 to remember the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Although Katrina's destruction happened five years ago, people in parts of New Orleans have still not recovered. Obama also promises to help people who are currently victims of the BP oil spill. According to an article in USA Today, the President spoke to an audience at Xavier University and said that the government's response to Katrina was "shameful."

Response to Katrina

Many people believe that the Busch administration was slow to react to Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that it caused thousands of people, unlike the reaction from Obama so far. It doesn't help matters any to find out that back then President Busch had slashed the funding that would have gone to restoring the levies that broke during Katrina and caused thousands of people to drown . Again unlike Obama, Busch cut funding for flood prevention by 80 percent, which inevitably stopped the work that was being done to help strengthen the levies from powerful storms such as Katrina. Despite warnings, the funding that would have saved thousands from Katrina was cut anyway and the rest is history. In 2005 the US Army Corp of Engineers requested 27 million dollars to protect the lake from hurricane damage in the hopes of protecting people from flood damage created by storms like Katrina. Katrina caused an estimated $100 billion in damage and killed 1,800 people. You do the numbers. Obama stated that the government's response to Katrina was "shameful," but the handling of the Katrina disaster is more than shameful, it's unacceptable.

Obama and his Response to BP

USA Today further reported Obama as stating ""We are going to stand with you until the oil is cleaned up, the environment is restored, polluters are held accountable, communities are made whole, and this region is back on its feet." Unlike President Busch, President Obama has been working with a number of agencies and people from BP from the start. Although the BP oil spill started in April and was capped in July, Obama is still following through by visiting the people of several gulf states this summer and by overseeing cleanup, restoration and funds appropriations to those people who were victims of the BP disaster.

Recovery Will Take Time

It seems clear that President Obama is taking care of the people and holding BP responsible for the Katrina like devastation that so many people have experienced. Unfortunately it will probably be years before Obama and the rest of the American people can realize the complete impact on not only the environment but on the people who were affected by the BP oil spill. If Obama holds true to his promises, restoration will eventually come to the gulf states affected by the BP oil spill. It will probably be quite some time before people begin to see positive results from the efforts that Obama set in motion. At least Obama reacted quicker and more thorough than the response to Katrina.

For other topics by this contributor please see http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/743371/teresa_erwin.html

Authors' Disclaimer: While every caution has been taken to provide my readers with the most accurate information, please use your discretion before making any decisions based on the information in this article.

Resources

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-08-29-obama-new-orleans-speech_N.htm?csp=34

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/warnings-went-ignored-as-bush-slashed-flood-defence-budget-to-pay-for-wars-505500.html