last updated 14th September 05
by 4ecotips.com

Personal rating at an all-time low

President George Bush said Hurricane Katrina exposed "serious problems'" in the US government's ability to handle another national emergency such as a severe storm or a terrorist attack.

The number of people trapped in their homes or ill-equipped shelters and the inadequacy of the immediate relief effort showed flaws "at all levels of government,'" Bush said. "To the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility."

His comments were his most critical yet of the government's response to Katrina. Until now, he had said the response had been unacceptable, and this was the first time he said he personally took responsibility for the problems.

The hurricane raised the question of whether the US was "capable of dealing with a severe attack or another severe storm. Bush said, "It's in our national interests that we find out exactly what went on so that we can better respond."

Bush has labeled Hurricane Katrina as the worst natural disaster in US history. The storm caused hundreds of deaths and an estimated $100 billion in damage across 90,000 square miles of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama when it hit on Aug. 29.

Bush's job-approval rating is at record lows in several polls in the wake of the storm. A Washington Post/ABC News poll taken 8-11 September among 1,200 adults found 54% disapproved of the way he was handling the recovery from the hurricane. The poll found that his overall job-approval rating was 42%, the lowest of his presidency.