Bruised New Orleans Takes Stock of Obama

President to Visit Katrina-Battered City Thursday; Seen as Improvement over Bush, Though Reviews are Mixed

(CBS)  This story is by CBSNews.com political reporter Brian Montopoli.

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As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama said that he would dedicate himself to helping New Orleans and the Gulf Coast recover from the horror of Hurricane Katrina, which took 1,800 lives, caused more than $40 billion in damage and displaced more than one million people.

"This will be a priority of my presidency," he said in February of last year. "And I will make it clear to members of my administration that their responsibilities don't end in places like the Ninth Ward -- they begin there."

On Thursday, roughly four years after Katrina hit, Mr. Obama makes his first trip to New Orleans as president. (As the White House has been quick to point out, he made five visits to post-Katrina New Orleans before taking office.) There has been some grumbling about the length of the visit, which will include a visit to a charter school and a town hall event and last about four hours.

The Times-Picayune of New Orleans compared the president unfavorably to former President George W. Bush, writing, "Say what you will about [Bush] and his administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath - the man knew how to put together a post-Katrina White House visit to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast."

Republican Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, meanwhile, said that "if the town hall is the only major event of the visit, I truly think it will be deeply disappointing to most citizens." Vitter suggested the president needed to take helicopter tours and spend more time in the area to better understand the situation. (On the battered Mississippi coastline, meanwhile, residents are miffed that the president isn't visiting at all.)

But while Mr. Bush may have visited the area 13 times after the storm, he has not exactly been lauded for doing so: Instead, his administration's performance in the wake of Katrina is widely remembered as a tragic failure. For residents of the storm-battered region, presidential visits ultimately matter less than presidential action - and it is on that front that Gulf Coasters are now starting to take stock of Mr. Obama.

"I think you can be judged on what you've said you're going to do for New Orleans and for the Gulf, or you can be judged on what you've done and what you're continuing to do," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday. "I think if people judge us on the latter, which is what matters to people that live in that region, I think they know the difference."

So how, then, has the new administration's performance been? The reviews, at this early point, are mixed. Yet the general consensus seems to be that the new administration represents, at the very least, an improvement over the last one. In August, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican with a national profile, said he respected the Obama administration's new Federal Emergency Management Agency chief, Florida's Craig Fugate, and his team.

Jindal told the Associated Press that "a sense of momentum and a desire to get things done" had emerged - and he noted, pointedly, that Louisiana governors previously didn't have "very many positive things" to say about FEMA. (When Katrina hit, of course, Michael Brown headed the organization - and Mr. Bush offered him an ill-advised "heckuva job" for his performance.)

The AP also reported that Doug O'Dell, who had been Mr. Bush's recovery coordinator, said in August that "problems that were insurmountable under previous leadership are getting resolved quickly."

The Obama administration says it has released over $1 billion in recovery aid for Louisiana since January, money that had been backlogged since the Bush administration. Billions more are reportedly on the way. (The state has thus far received $75 billion for hurricane recovery overall.)

Officials at Southern University at New Orleans have hailed the administration for helping the school rebuild; the White House has spurred movement on dozens of stalled projects and reversed a rule that important buildings like fire stations can't be built in areas considered vulnerable. Tourism, population and jobs levels have all been rising, and the city is now America's fastest-growing, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics.

The new administration has also created a mediation program between federal funders and local government to forge agreement on how much money should be released for specific projects - a longtime sticking point.

"A couple of times [in the past], I have just gotten up and pushed my chair under the table and walked out, but I will say that in 2009 we haven't done that; 2009 has a very different feel to it - very much a partnership," Jindal's recovery chief, Paul Rainwater, told National Public Radio.

Photo Essay: New Orleans Right After Katrina
Photo Essay: New Orleans Now

Yet it would be a mistake to view the news from New Orleans as uniformly positive - or assessments of the president and his team as uniformly sunny. On Galvez Street, one of the main thoroughfares in the battered Ninth Ward, grass and weeds have made the road nearly impassable, as NPR reports. Many homes still haven't been rebuilt; rats and mosquitoes still swarm in overgrown lots. Across the city, according to August figures, there were more than 60,000 properties abandoned or blighted.

Critics complain that the president has ignored the region's disappearing wetlands, which are threatening coastal communities and energy production, fishing and shipping industries. As McClatchy reports, New Orleans has had a hard time securing public finding for a public hospital that residents say is desperately needed, and state leaders are fighting efforts to cut $700 million in the state Medicaid funds.

The Army Corps of Engineers, meanwhile, is not close to completing its $15 billion 100-year flood protection system for the city. Late last month actor and New Orleans resident Harry Shearer complained on Huffington Post that the administration is ignoring a report that hydraulic pumps installed by the Corps are not up to snuff. "My headline, phrased in question form earlier this year-'Obama to New Orleans: Drop Dead?'--is ready to be repunctuated," he noted dryly.

In August, a report from the Institute for Southern Studies found that "many Gulf Coast advocates give the administration low marks for their Gulf recovery -- and they don't think Washington has lived up to its promises to make rebuilding a priority." The Obama administration received a D+ in the report. That's better than the Bush administration's D-, but certainly nothing to brag about.

Still, as both critics and supporters are well aware, it is currently somewhat premature to judge the administration's performance on a number of issues tied to Katrina. And the real test, of course, will come if and when another serious hurricane hits the region. Until then, residents are gearing up for a presidential visit that will provide a reminder that the rest of the country has not forgotten them.

On Monday, Principal Doris Hicks of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School expressed her joy about the president's planned visit to her school.

"He chose us, and it really feels good that he chose us," she told students over the school loudspeaker, according to the Times-Picayune. "I'm excited, I'm ecstatic, and I know you share in the excitement. We can hardly wait until Thursday."

[jeannettelj]

It doesn't matter what Obama does, it is never going to be right. Remember it was Bush who basically blew New Orleans off. Obama has inherited the biggest mess ever left by a previous administration including the mess of Katrina. Why don't all of you just shut up and let Obama get on with it?

[CATEYES233]

LETS HOPE THAT HE DOESN'T GET TOGETHER WITH RAY NAGIN OR THE CITY WILL BE IN BIGGER TROUBLE

[antonebraga]

President Obama is visiting New Orleans today. Do you have a moment to look over important disaster information for your community? Obama did, and waved it off.

One of the most important factors in disaster preparedness/recovery is to be informed:

Laissez-faire Not Fair
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When the dust settles, who will carry the mantle for disaster survivors? This should help understanding: What do you expect in case of an insured loss? Are You Disaster Ready (hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood, fire, etc.)? US President Obama affirms government's laissez-faire policy with his telling response! http://www.disasterprepared.net/whitehouse.html

Thank you for any consideration you may give!

[saturn05]

Obama can't win. He has sent so many important members of his cabinet and he has released millions of dollars in money previously held up in red tape by the previous administration and he still gets stabbed for his attempts to help out that part of the country. Exactally what do people want??? He can't just snap his fingers and make everyone happy about everything. But he is chipping away at the problems created by Bush and has been successful in many areas. Give him some credit.

[watchdogtexas]

The ostriches are in over their heads.
Preparation for the storm was the duty of the city and state. They neglected the people, or it was pure incompetence. Which ever you choose the outcome will be the same. Liberal progressives only care about themselves, and the money and votes they can fool people out of. Not to solve the problem.
When will the people learn.

[sjc_1]

Louisiana is not a rich state, for decades they have been exploited by the oil and gas industries who have given very little back. The idea of Federal and State is to help those that do not have the resources to help themselves. When a hurricane is about to hit the coast of the U.S. it is a national problem and not a state problem. Bush gave lots of aid to the Republican governor of Mississippi, but not much to the Democratic governor of Louisiana. Trent Lott, a rich white Senator in Mississippi got plenty of help, but poor black people in Louisiana...not so much.

[crescentrose]

THis has got to be one of the most uninformed comments I've seen.

Texas, you are next to LA and you have no clue that Katrina missed New Orleans. Amazing! The levees broke, dude. They shouldn't have. The engineering was faulty.

I would say from your comment that *you* only care for yourself and your money. Everybody knows that liberals (in general) are about sharing and conservatives are (in general) about keeping what's theirs.

[stevex47]

"But, but, but....Our dear president said "This will be a priority of my presidency," "

And boosh said WMD's, nukes, economy's fine, mission accomplished, he would prosecute those that outted CIA agent Plame.

So, no problemo there right ?

[NickAtNight999]

The 'president' should have picked BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL in New Orleans.

Franklin is a magnet school and has 25-30 National Merit Scholars a year.

He should be highlighting the best of New Orleans.

[hungry1968-16]

by Jolie2u October 14, 2009 7:15 PM EDT
Mike, your ignorance is showing. 50% of New Orleans is at or above sea level and 94% of the greater New Orleans area is at or above sealevel. Just admit you hate your fellow Americans and don't want to help anyone but yourself. Or let people like me, a New Orleanian that has sent 36% of my income to the US government for the last 30 years, know that since paying taxes doesn't mean squat to this country, we can stop.






You act like paying taxes for 30 years didn't buy you ANYTHING. You paid for fire services, police services, garbage pick up, highway funds, and other local, state, and federal services.

There is NO REASON that ANYONE - especially the federal government - should rebuild a city in a hurricane prone area, that sits below sea level. If anything, it should be turned into a flood plain or hurricane buffer zone - nothing but plants and trees and natural swamp land.

To rebuild a city BELOW SEA LEVEL, right next to the sea, is stupid.

[ekucrew]

hungry1968-16... just a shout out to a native of Naw 'Leans

The BEST shrimp Po Boys I have ever eaten came from a little place I ate lunch at near Tulane years ago. The Cresent City has great food!

[NickAtNight999]

Yes BALONEY. He is NOT going to give a great speech.

[Jolie2u]

Here is the truth of New Orleans and our presidents. George Bush was very sympathetic every anniversary of the storm and that was the ONLY time he ever thought of the Gulf South. 3 whole days. Obama's administration has fixed the bureaucratic log jab to start getting aid to the area, 4 years later, but he himself could care less about the Gulf South. He used our dead as a campaign point and that is it. I guess Obama is an improvement, but forgive me if I don't get excited about his visit. It is too little, too late. I bet he gives a great speech, though.

[BeckieBest]

Jolie2u

Baloney.

[doctorj2u]

Becky,
Baloney? I am a New Orleanian and my mother lives a block from the beach on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. My world was destroyed by Katrina and the shotty levees. I have fought for my city in every way humanly possible for 4 years plus. Now tell me why my "opinion" is baloney.

[NickAtNight999]

Also, I remember our former Governor (Blanco) giving 'credit' to BUSH for insisting on the MANDATORY EVACUATION OF NEW ORLEANS based on the word of meteoroligis MAX MAYFIELD ... Since she (D) and the mayor (D) were too whimpy to do so (It reminded me of a very bad horror film out there - like Jaws - 'We can't call the evacuation, we will lose our tourism dollars')

We (me, my daughter and our three cats) fled the storm to MONROE.

[rhs648]

correction

The article stated that Louisiana has received $74 billion dollars for recovery under President Bush and $1 billion since January under President Obama. Something doesn't make sense. President Bush provides $74 billion and gets a D- while President Obama provides $1 billion and gets a D+. You do the math and see if it makes sense.

[NickAtNight999]

They have been attacking Bush on this issue since day 1. I remember the newscaster asking loaded questions to the evacuees at the Houston Dome to try get them to bash Bush. What was even more amazing was THAT THEY DIDN'T.

Much of the blame for what happened in Katriana falls on our do nothing governor (Blanco - D) and the last two mayors of New Orleans (Morial - D and 'Chocolate City' - D)

That is why we now have Governor Jindal - R !!!

[rhs648]

The article stated that Louisiana has received $75 billion dollars for recovery under President Bush and $1 billion since January under President Obama. Something doesn't make sense. President Bush provides $74 billion and gets a D- while President Obama provides $1 billion and gets a D+. You do the math and see if it makes sense.

[sjc_1]

I do not care how much money supposedly went into something, what RESULTS did it produce?! Bush was supposedly a results guy, but the only results he produced were getting his rich friends richer through no bid contracts.

[mikevetman]

Still blaming New Orleans on Bush. Texas, Alabama, Mississippi have all been hard hit. Most of the housing in N.O. looks to have been rental and low income housing, all below sea level. Move them out, plow it over what. It will happen again. Anywhere else in the US, you couldn't get insurance to rebuild. It is not up to the tax payers to pay their bill. too bad, it happened, They didn't listen then and won't do it in the future. The rolled the dice and lost. The local and state government officials are the ones that screwed up. Not up to the tax payers to bail them out.

[Jolie2u]

Mike, your ignorance is showing. 50% of New Orleans is at or above sea level and 94% of the greater New Orleans area is at or above sealevel. Just admit you hate your fellow Americans and don't want to help anyone but yourself. Or let people like me, a New Orleanian that has sent 36% of my income to the US government for the last 30 years, know that since paying taxes doesn't mean squat to this country, we can stop.

[dnatech]

Remember, this is all the fault of the poor, black people according to the Republicans. We purposely held up aid and assistance to give Americans the right to laugh and ridicule those jungle bunnies. Look at them! They are in danger...HAR HAR HAR from the neocons. They also showed the lie that all is great in our country...they deserve to be punished because they show the truth that in this country there is immense poverty. How dare they show the truth to the world!

[Jolie2u]

The world already knows the truth. So do I .... now.

[skyk-2009]

When you look at the depth and breath of the Mess left this Young President by Bush and the Republican's it will make you dizzy. That being said I feel really good about our chances of having a really good recovery and growth as a nation. As a "Boomer" I know and see the desire of a new Generation that wants to make a difference. I think it's called being American!

[mjvwsr]

you're right. we should go in and rebuild the slums.

[USA_is_back]

by mjvwsr October 14, 2009 3:54 PM EDT
you're right. we should go in and rebuild the slums.
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We're already doing that in Iraq - with our tax dollars

[IL-Independent]

The problem with what you are saying Skyk, as usual, you are wrong in your assessments. The sad part is that you refuse to see or even listen to the truth because you would rather spread your hate towards the other party.

[IL-Independent]

I might as well add Skyk, that congress as a whole failed this country. That includes ALL men and women in congress regardless of political association