News

Bush leads US in prayer for hurricane victims

Friday, 16 September 2005 21:59

The US President, George W Bush, has lead the people of the US in a day of prayer for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Mr Bush addressed a service at the national cathedral in Washington and repeated his promise of help for those affected by the disaster.

It came less than 24 hours after Mr Bush promised to help rebuild parts of the Gulf Coast states devastated by the hurricane.

In a televised address from New Orleans, Mr Bush said federal funds would cover the great majority of the costs of repairing public infrastructure in the disaster zone, including roads, bridges, schools and water systems.

He also acknowledged that his government had not dealt adequately with the storm's aftermath.

Mr Bush added he had ordered a comprehensive review of procedures, saying that Katrina had not been a normal hurricane, and that the normal disaster relief system was not equal to it.

The death toll from the disaster now stands at 792.

Mr Bush's major setpiece speech was delivered in front of St Louis's Cathedral in the heart of New Orleans.

It was the President's fourth visit to the Gulf region, underlining the pressure his administration is under for its slow response to the Katrina disaster.

Mr Bush said that every person in the US had the right to expect an effective response from government in times of emergency and, when it failed to meet such an obligation, he as president was responsible for the problem and for the solution.

Mr Bush also pledged to co-operate with the investigation into the handling of the disaster already announced by Congress.