Two weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit the US Gulf Coast, the US President, George W Bush, has taken responsibility for the first time for the widely criticised government response to the storm.
Mr Bush is facing the lowest poll ratings since taking office as a result of the emergency operation.
He said the hurricane exposed serious problems in their response capability at all levels of government, and to the extent that the federal government did not fully do its job right, he took responsibility.
Mr Bush's comments came as relief workers revealed that the bodies of 45 people were found in a hospital in a flooded part of New Orleans at the weekend.
The official death toll from the hurricane has now risen to more than 500.
However, federal officials say the final figure is likely to be much lower than the initial prediction of 10,000 people.
Earlier, the head of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency resigned after being heavily criticised for his handling of relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina two weeks ago.
Michael Brown said his decision to step down was in the best interests of Mr Bush and FEMA.
Mr Brown had already been removed as head of the rescue effort by Mr Bush, who visited the region yesterday and again acknowledged that mistakes had been made in the initial response.
