WASHINGTON — Bracing for a storm that could surpass Hurricane Katrina, President Bush today said he would skip the Republican National Convention and head instead to Texas to be with evacuees and emergency responders. He warned a jittery Gulf Coast that it could face “significant flooding.”
“The message to the people of the Gulf Coast is, this storm is dangerous,” Bush said bluntly after a briefing on Hurricane Gustav’s path and power. “There’s a real possibility of flooding, storm surge, and high winds. … Do not put yourself in harm’s way, or make rescue workers take unnecessary risks.”
The president’s quick change of travel will put him in the region on the very day that Gustav was expected to slam into the United States. The swift, hands-on level of engagement comes three years after his White House was blistered for a sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina. The legacy of that debacle helped shape Bush’s presidency.
The National Hurricane Center said Gustav weakened slightly but was expected to regain strength as it moves over warm waters toward the U.S. coast, possibly becoming a Category 4 hurricane later today. Forecasters upgraded a hurricane watch to a warning for a swath of over 500 miles, from Louisiana near the Texas border to the Alabama-Florida state line.
Bush has had a visible role in responding to disasters in person, especially after Katrina, but heading to the site even before the storm hits is highly unusual. The president sought to assure the nation that the federal government was ready this time and working well with state and local leaders.
Even though the president said levees are “stronger than they’ve ever been,” he said people throughout the Gulf Coast, especially in New Orleans, “need to understand that in a storm of this size there is serious risk of significant flooding.”
Said Paulison: “I think we have plenty of opportunity to get people out in time. It’s those who are choosing not to get out that concerns me.”
Bush planned a visit today an emergency operations center in Austin, Texas, to inspect coordination among all levels of government. He also planned to go to San Antonio, where relief materials are being stored up and people who fled the storm’s path have found shelter.
Bush said he was not traveling to Louisiana immediately because he did not want to interfere with emergency workers, but hoped to get there soon.
The president had planned to give the showpiece speech of the night on Monday, the start of the Republican celebration. Vice President Dick Cheney, who also planned to speak at the Republican convention today, was not going, either. First lady Laura Bush still planned to speak.
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