BATON ROUGE, La., Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco has followed President George Bush and accepted blame for failures in planning for and reacting to Hurricane Katrina.
In a rare, out-of-session meeting of the state Legislature in Baton Rouge Wednesday night, the Democrat promised to examine the missteps that crippled the response to the storm, the New Orleans Times Picayune reported Thursday.
"The buck stops here, and as your governor, I take full responsibility," Blanco said.
Bush made similar remarks Tuesday at a Washington news conference.
Blanco said as with the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the federal government should foot the bill for 100 percent of the costs from the Aug. 29 disaster that displaced 1 million people. She also lashed out at those who claim rebuilding devastated New Orleans wasn't worth the expense.
"To anyone who even suggests that this great city should not be rebuilt, hear this and hear it well: We will rebuild," Blanco said.
