NEW ORLEANS, La. — Standing on ground that flooded with 17 feet of water a decade ago, President Barack Obama praised New Orleans residents’ resilience following Hurricane Katrina and addressed the enduring problems the city still faces at a speech in the Lower 9th Ward on Thursday.
“The people of New Orleans have inspired all of America,” Obama said. “People watching what’s happened have seen a reflection of the very best part of the American spirit.”
The president’s speech highlighted weeks of events leading up to Hurricane Katrina’s 10th anniversary organized by the City of New Orleans, which included talks by Mayor Mitch Landrieu, former Sen. Mary Landrieu, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and others.
While Obama spoke of the inspiration and confidence New Orleans residents gave him through rebuilding efforts, he also warned that the effort was not over yet.
“Our work here won’t be done when almost 40 percent of children live in poverty in this city,” Obama said.
The speech took place at the Andrew P. Sanchez & Copelin-Byrd Multi-Purpose Center, which Obama called a symbol of “extraordinary resilience” of New Orleans.
He recalled the devastation Hurricane Katrina left, with more than 1,800 lives lost directly following the storm’s landfall. He also acknowledged some of the crowd he spoke to might have lost loved ones in the storm.
“There are too many people who haven’t been able to come back home,” Obama said.
Obama was a U.S. Senator from Illinois when Hurricane Katrina barreled into the Gulf Coast, and he’s said he kept promises that he would help as president but criticized the government’s handling of the storm.
“What started as a natural disaster became a man-made disaster,” Obama said.
He then illustrated recovery efforts as the polar opposite.
“If Katrina was initially an example of what happens when government fails, recovery has been an example of what can happen when government works together,” Obama said.
He toed the line between praise and pressure on New Orleans residents, talking of business growth and new facilities, as well as race issues and poverty.
The president said inequality was especially prevalent in African-American communities and “few have a shot to break out of poverty.”
“The storm lay bare a deeper tragedy,” he said. “New Orleans has for too long been plagued by structural inequalities.”
Obama regaled the audience with stories of young residents he has met, including people from Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools, an organization to help youth gain leadership skills. He told the story of Victor, a boy who towed his younger brother in a trash can to keep him afloat during Hurricane Katrina.
Obama said Victor returned to the city six months later to find it “almost unrecognizable.” Victor recently completed a coding boot camp, and Obama used his story as a reflection of the influence young people have had in the city’s rebuilding.
Obama echoed the tone set by Mitch Landrieu, who recited a contextual verse from a Robert Frost poem earlier in the day:
“I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”
Landrieu applauded the community effort in New Orleans following not only Katrina but other hurricanes and crises. He mentioned displaced New Orleans residents who haven’t returned to the city.
“Hell or high water, and we’ve had both, we’re coming back,” Landrieu said to a roar from the crowd.
While Landrieu spoke, Obama spent the afternoon touring local neighborhoods in the Lower 9th Ward, eating fried chicken at Willie Mae’s Scotch House and talking with Tremé residents before giving his speech.
The Roots of Music, a youth band made up of New Orleans residents, kicked off the afternoon at the community center with the national anthem, followed by a few more tunes, and members of the band spoke about how they used the power of music to overcome tragedy.
Obama addressed the state of the nation as well as the state of Louisiana, urging members of Congress to pass a budget and prevent a government shutdown in a timely manner as it nears the September budget deadline.
The president gave promising economic statistics, citing increases in job growth amid a volatile few weeks in the stock markets around the world.
“The United States continues to have the best cards, we just have to play them right,” Obama said.
He encouraged the voters in the crowd to challenge their government and leaders approaching the 2016 presidential run and said that citizens confronting problems in leadership is a vital part of democracy.
New Orleans will host other political leaders, including former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, in the waning days of Hurricane Katrina’s 10th anniversary.
President Barack Obama spoke of disaster and resilience on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015 in The Lower 9th Ward Senior Center Andrew P. Sanchez & Copelyn-Bird Center.
