President Obama is heading to New Orleans next week to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
Obama’s one-day trip on Aug. 27 will include a meeting with Mayor Mitch Landrieu, visits to rebuilt wards and a speech about “what’s possible when citizens, city and corporate leaders all work together to lift up their communities and build back in ways that make them more innovative and positioned for economic growth,” the White House announced on Thursday.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate will join Obama, who will probably refrain from saying that Fugate has done a “heck of a job” since taking over the beleaguered agency that so many blamed for exacerbating Katrina’s death toll and damage. President George W. Bush famously used that line to compliment his own FEMA director, Michael Brown, only to watch many blame Brown for failing to react quickly enough.
Katrina ultimately claimed the lives of 1,833 people. It also caused $108 billion in property damage, making it the nation’s costliest natural disaster and one of the United States’ five deadliest hurricanes. Since taking office, FEMA under Obama has spent more than $5.2 billion rebuilding affected areas in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
FEMA has also given Louisiana and Mississippi more than $1.4 billion for 682 mitigation projects aimed at preventing damage caused by future storms.
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan and Corporation for National and Community Service CEO Wendy Spencer will join Fugate for events throughout the region during the anniversary week.
