President Bush says he takes full responsibility for the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina.
The storm devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast one year ago Tuesday.
Mr. Bush spoke Tuesday at a school in New Orleans, and he again vowed to do whatever it takes to help the city and the region recover. Eighty percent of the city was flooded after the force of the storm overcame the city's flood walls.
Many homes in New Orleans' hardest hit neighborhoods are still in ruins, and some areas still lack basic services such as water and electricity. The city's population is around 200,000 today, about half of what it was before the storm.
The lack of recovery in the city has generated a lot of criticism for the Bush administration, and for local and state governments.
Katrina was one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history. The National Hurricane Center says Hurricane Katrina left more than 1,800 people dead and several hundred more missing when it devastated parts of the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
The president has said Hurricane Katrina revealed that federal, state and local governments were not prepared to deal with such a catastrophe. The federal government has committed $110 billion in resources to help the region recover.
On Monday, Mr. Bush toured the hard-hit town of Biloxi, Mississippi. He praised residents and volunteer workers for their courage and determination in rebuilding. He said about 98 percent of the debris has been removed in Biloxi.