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Bush praises New Orleans recovery efforts, strong leadership

Former President Bill Clinton to address city Saturday.

By Marilyn Malara and Amy R. Connolly
President George Bush and wife Laura leans in to listen to President Bill Clinton following the former President's speech at the unveiling of the "Wall of Names" dedication on Sept. 10, 2001. The three will visit New Orleans this weekend to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's destruction and the city's revival. File Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI
1 of 4 | President George Bush and wife Laura leans in to listen to President Bill Clinton following the former President's speech at the unveiling of the "Wall of Names" dedication on Sept. 10, 2001. The three will visit New Orleans this weekend to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's destruction and the city's revival. File Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A decade after he promised a Hurricane Katrina-ravaged New Orleans he would do "what it takes" to aid in recovery, former President George W. Bush returned to the city Friday, praising the successes and looking to the future.

Speaking to a packed audience at Warren Easton Charter High School, Bush praised the school -- the oldest public school in New Orleans -- for emerging after the storm that killed 1,800 and left unprecedented destruction. Bush stood at the same school in 2006, a year after Katrina. Friday, he said he was there to remind the country about strong leadership.

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"You've given all Americans reason to believe that New Orleans is back, and better than ever," he said. "On this anniversary, the work of making a stronger and more hopeful New Orleans goes on."

He added, "The darkness from a decade ago has lifted, the crescent city has risen again, and its best days lie ahead."

The storm, the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history, will long be remembered not only for the devastation but as one of the lowest points of the Bush presidency. He was chided as an ineffective crisis manager amid a shoddy federal response that had thousands waiting days and weeks for assistance. Among the blunders, Bush famously told Michael Brown, former Federal Emergency Management Agency director, he was doing "a heck of a job" as thousands of survivors had no food or water while taking shelter in the New Orleans Superdome.

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Since then, there has been a lot of rebuilding. Laura Bush, through her foundation, has helped replace 10,000 destroyed library books at Warren Easton, the city's oldest public high school.

Saturday, former President Bill Clinton is expected to attend the Power of Community gathering where he will join a slew of New Orleans' community leaders including Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

President Barack Obama arrived in Nola Thursday to speak on the city's resilience since the storm hit a decade ago from within the Andrew P. Sanchez Community Center -- a new $20 million facility that replaced a community complex and fire station destroyed by Katrina.

"The notion that there would be anything left [after Katrina] seemed unimaginable, at the time," Obama said. "Today, this new community center stands as a symbol of the extraordinary resilience of this city."

"You are an example of what's possible when, in the face of tragedy and hardship, good people come together to lend a hand, and to build a better future," Obama continued. "That, more than any other reason, is why I have come back here today."

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The federal government -- particularly Bush's administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) -- was exhaustively criticized in the weeks and years following Katrina. The critiques ranged from general government apathy to elitism to allegations of authoritative racism.

"The world watched in horror and saw those rising waters around the iconic streets of New Orleans, families stranded on rooftops, bodies in the streets, children crying ... an American city dark and under water" Obama said.

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