Bush returns to New Orleans for 10th anniversary of Katrina

Former President George W. Bush returned Friday to New Orleans — the scene of one of his presidency's lowest points — to tout the region's recovery from the nation's costliest natural disaster, on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

President Barack Obama visited the city on Thursday and gave a speech, which included calls for climate resiliency, in the Lower 9th Ward — the area of New Orleans hardest hit by the hurricane. 

On Friday, Bush delivered remarks at Warren Easton Charter High School, the same school he visited on the first anniversary of the catastrophic storm. He was accompanied by his wife, Laura Bush, whose library foundation helped rebuild Warren Easton, the oldest public school in New Orleans.

George Bush said it was a day to celebrate the resurgence of New Orleans schools. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the state took over almost all the city's schools, which were widely criticized before Katrina for failing to provide a good education. Now almost all the city's schools are charter schools.

He praised the schools' progress, saying that parents have more choices and that teachers and principals have less bureaucracy hindering their work.

Critics have questioned the progress of the schools and lament the loss of neighborhood schools. Despite the apparent improvement in the city's education system, Bush was vilified for his government's lackluster response to Katrina.

In New Orleans, residents pilloried him and his team. He was a source of deep resentment and mockery, displayed in effigy at Carnival displays for years after the hurricane. A series of faux pas — from flying over flooded New Orleans on Air Force One to his "Heckuva job, Brownie" quip in support of then–Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown — marred his record.

Bush, who was on vacation when Katrina made landfall on Aug. 31, 2005, was criticized for his government's slow response to the disaster. He did not begin coordinating a federal response until two days later and did not visit affected areas on the ground until four days after the hurricane hit.

Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University and the author of "The Great Deluge," a detailed account of the first days after Katrina, said the catastrophic hurricane became a "confluence of blunders" from which Bush would not recover.

Bush's approval ratings fell after the storm and did not recover, Brinkley said. "That's when I think his presidency started on a downward trend."

At Warren Easton, at least, Bush could point to a success story.

"We have fond memories of his last visit," said Arthur Hardy, a celebrity in New Orleans for his expertise in all things Mardi Gras and Carnival. He graduated from the high school in 1965. He said Bush helped the school come back and reopen after Katrina.

After New Orleans, the Bush family will visit Gulfport, Mississippi, to attend an event with state officials, including Gov. Phil Bryant and former Gov. Haley Barbour, to thank first responders who helped after the hurricane. Barbour was governor when Katrina hit and served as a staunch Bush ally. As an eastern Texan, Bush is deeply tied to the Gulf Coast.

The bulk of the rebuilding fell to his administration, which oversaw more than $140 billion in spending on the disaster, his office said. Bush largely took a hands-off approach and frequently said rebuilding was best left to locals. He has made frequent trips to the region since Katrina, his office said. Much of the rebuilding — now viewed by many as a success story — was overseen by Bush appointees.

The Associated Press