Bush Declares Katrina Prayer Day, Promises Survivors $2k A Piece
Bush declares Katrina prayer day
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4227974.stm
9/8/2005
US President George W Bush has declared Friday 16 September a national day of prayer and remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Mr Bush asked agencies in the disaster zone to treat bodies with "dignity and respect", and announced initial aid of $2,000 (£1,090) for displaced families.
Congress' lower house has voted to grant Mr Bush $51.8bn (£28bn) in relief funds on top of $10bn already approved.
Washington has been accused of failing to react swiftly to the disaster.
Vice-President Dick Cheney has arrived in New Orleans as part of a tour of the south to review the progress of relief work.
Some 25,000 body bags are being sent to the city where thousands are feared dead though the official death toll for Louisiana so far stands at 83.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has ordered the forced evacuation of the city, which used to have a population of 450,000.
'Long haul'
Speaking at the White House, Mr Bush announced that every family affected by Hurricane Katrina would receive the initial sum of $2,000 in aid.
He promised that the government would be with the survivors "for the long haul".
"We have many difficult days ahead, especially as we recover those who did not survive the storm," he said.
Government workers should, he added, "honour their memory by treating the dead with the dignity and respect they deserve".
The Senate is expected to also approve the new aid funds voted through by the House of Representatives on Thursday.
After a view of the damage in Gulfport, Mississippi, Mr Cheney flew by helicopter to New Orleans, arriving on an aircraft carrier docked in the Mississippi river where he was briefed on the situation.
He later visited the city centre to see the shattered floodwall on the 17th Street Canal.
The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says his brief is to bang heads together and make sure that the things that went wrong in the early days of the relief effort are sorted out.
First Lady Laura Bush and Attorney-General Alberto Gonzales are also visiting the area.
Opinion polls suggest Americans are divided along political party lines in their judgement of Mr Bush's performance.
Fuel and sewage
Police and soldiers have been going from house to house to encourage those still in the stricken city to leave.
"A large group of young armed men armed with M-16s just arrived at my door and told me that I have to leave," Patrick McCarty told AP news agency in the city's Lower Garden District.
"While not saying they would arrest you, the inference is clear."
As water is pumped out of New Orleans, the diminishing flood reveals dead bodies, raw sewage, fuel and rusting vehicles.
The floodwaters are believed to contain unsafe levels of E.coli and other bacteria as well as high levels of lead.
Only 23 of the city's normal contingent of 148 pumps are in operation along with three portable pumps.
They are said to be pushing out about 60,000 gallons (228,000 litres) of water per second but water remains in about 60% of the city.
