Mayor: New Orleans will seek aid from other nations

[Solve_et_Coagula]

Mayor: New Orleans will seek aid from other nations

Feb 6, 7:24 PM (ET)

By Michael Depp

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Shortcomings in aid from the U.S. government are making New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin look to other nations for help in rebuilding his hurricane-damaged city.

Nagin, who has hosted a steady stream of foreign dignitaries since Hurricane Katrina hit in late August, says he may seek international assistance because U.S. aid has not been sufficient to get the city back on its feet.

"I know we had a little disappointment earlier with some signals we're getting from Washington but the international community may be able to fill the gap," Nagin said when a delegation of French government and business officials passed through on Friday to explore potential business partnerships.

Jordan's King Abdullah also visited New Orleans on Friday and Nagin said he would encourage foreign interests to help redevelop some of the areas hardest hit by the storm.

"France can take Treme. The king of Jordan can take the Lower Ninth Ward," he said, referring to two of the city's neighborhoods.

Katrina flooded 80 percent of the city and killed more than 1,300 people in Louisiana and Mississippi.

The Bush administration has pledged billions of dollars to Katrina victims but five months after the storm, New Orleans remains largely in ruins.

Nagin said his message to President George W. Bush would be that the federal government needs to refocus on the devastated area.

"We need your undivided attention over the next six months," he said. "We need backup. We need for you to make the words that you spoke in Jackson Square a reality."

Nagin was referring to the president's September 15 address to the nation from New Orleans, in which he pledged "we will do what it takes, we will stay as long as it takes" to rebuild.

French Transport Minister Dominique Perben, leading the French delegation to a city that was founded by France in 1718, said, "This catastrophe has deeply upset the French people and the French government."

France, Perben said through a translator, "wants to be a long-term partner for Louisiana and New Orleans."

http://reuters.myway.com/article/20060207/2006-02-07T002438Z_01_N03281051_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-HURRICANES-AID-DC.html

[Road Scholar]

1. You gotta do what you gotta do. nt

[wake.up.america]

2. Chalk up another success story for the Bush Administration.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

3. Bush's amazing disregard for his own people . . .

. . . I hope the French show him up.

[Benhurst]

4. Good for him. When you're the mayor of a devastated city in a

third world country, you've got to seek help wherever you can get it.

The World's Only Superpower, indeed!

As Bette Davis would say, "What a Dump."

[unhappycamper]

5. Solve_et_Coagula:

Please be aware that DU copyright rules require that excerpts of copyrighted material be limited to four paragraphs and must include a link to the original source.

You have one hour from the time of your original post to make changes.

In the future, please insure your posts adhere to this standard.

TIA,

unhappycamper
DU Moderator

[TNC4DNC]

6. This will be an interesting follow-up...

I hope France sticks by their word. You know the Bush Admin. would hate nothing worse than for them to come into this country and do something that they neglected to do. It is almost a perfect fit too, because of France being the original founder of Louisiana and New Orleans. If they did follow through then I would be nice for Americans to send them thank-you cards or something similar to whatever French government department is most responsible for getting the job done.

[Cascadian]

7. Whenever things like this happen....

whenever you have Mexican troops coming in to aid the Gulf Region, when North Korean diplomats go to New Mexico to talk to Bill Richardson, and now this, you start to wonder if secession of some states and regions is going to happen if this country carries on like this.



John

[leesa]

8. Good. Shout it out. The US government won't/can't take care of its

people. Shame these assholes into action, if nothing else. Of course, rich Republicans are so used to being on the public dole that they will gladly take hand-outs from other countries.

[Cascadian]

9. Maybe France should ask for Louisiana back.

n/t