Bush heads to The Big Easy for 10th anniversary of hurricane Katrina
Former President George W. Bush is visiting New Orleans on Friday to commemorate the 10th听anniversary of Katrina, the 2005 hurricane that claimed the lives of .
The hurricane is widely regarded also as one of the "" in Mr. Bush鈥檚听eight-year听presidency.听
The Associated Press describes the former commander-in-chief鈥檚 response to Katrina as 鈥渁 series of faux pas 鈥� from flying over flooded New Orleans first on Air Force One to his 鈥楬eckuva job, Brownie鈥� quip in support of then-director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Michael Brown.鈥�
Bush will speak at Warren Easton Charter High School, the same school he chose to deliver remarks on the first anniversary of the storm. His wife, Laura, is credited with helping rebuild Warren Easton, the .
Back in 2006, the school was severely flooded and struggling to reopen. School officials said that nearly every student at the time was considered homeless, as they were living in FEMA trailers or sleeping on couches.
Bush, who was chastised for a city hit by the country鈥檚 most expensive natural disaster to locals, began experiencing a downward slide in his approval ratings.
He became a subject of public resentment and mockery in New Orleans, displayed in effigies at the city鈥檚 carnival for years, according to .
Bush鈥檚 office has pushed back against the criticism, saying it oversaw more than $140 billion on disaster relief.
Arthur Hardy, a local celebrity in New Orleans who graduated from Warren Easton in 1965, told the AP that the community had 鈥渇ond memories of his last visit,鈥� adding that Bush had helped the school reopen after the hurricane.
President Obama on Thursday also visited The Big Easy to praise the city鈥檚 revival. "There's something in you guys that is just irrepressible," he told a crowd of residents at a new community center in the Lower 9th听Ward. 鈥淭he people of New Orleans didn't just inspire me, you inspired all of America.鈥�
For an in depth look at New Orleans' decade of recovery, see 海角大神's听cover story, "Ten years after Katrina, a 'new' New Orleans emerges."
This report contains material from the Associated Press and Reuters.听
