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Aug 6, 7:44 PM EDT
Will Bush Keep Pledge to Rebuild Bridge?
By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- For New Orleans residents, the scene was all too familiar: President Bush, touring the site of the collapsed I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, promising to cut red tape and rebuild as quickly as possible.
Nearly two years ago, with parts of New Orleans still under water after Hurricane Katrina, Bush made similar declarations in the French Quarter. The president's promise was all Melanie Thompson needed to hear to bring back her family of five and begin work on their flooded home.
But today Thompson's family is still living in a cramped trailer and awaiting aid to rebuild. Her hope and faith in government have faded and she worries for the people of Minneapolis.
"I just hope to God they come to their rescue a lot quicker than they did ours," she said.
The scope of the two disasters is far different. Katrina killed more than 1,400 in Louisiana, and the storm and catastrophic failure of levees submerged most of New Orleans. Some neighborhoods remain in ruins.
By contrast, last week's bridge collapse caused five confirmed deaths and injured about 100. And most commuters were still able to get to work smoothly without using the freeway closed by the accident.
In both cases, Bush promised swift federal action. In Minneapolis, the president gave no timeline for rebuilding the bridge but said he would work to cut the bureaucratic red tape that could delay the project.
In his French Quarter speech, Bush said the government would "stay as long as it takes, to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BRIDGE_COLLAPSE_PROMISES?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
Will Bush Keep Pledge to Rebuild Bridge?
By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- For New Orleans residents, the scene was all too familiar: President Bush, touring the site of the collapsed I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, promising to cut red tape and rebuild as quickly as possible.
Nearly two years ago, with parts of New Orleans still under water after Hurricane Katrina, Bush made similar declarations in the French Quarter. The president's promise was all Melanie Thompson needed to hear to bring back her family of five and begin work on their flooded home.
But today Thompson's family is still living in a cramped trailer and awaiting aid to rebuild. Her hope and faith in government have faded and she worries for the people of Minneapolis.
"I just hope to God they come to their rescue a lot quicker than they did ours," she said.
The scope of the two disasters is far different. Katrina killed more than 1,400 in Louisiana, and the storm and catastrophic failure of levees submerged most of New Orleans. Some neighborhoods remain in ruins.
By contrast, last week's bridge collapse caused five confirmed deaths and injured about 100. And most commuters were still able to get to work smoothly without using the freeway closed by the accident.
In both cases, Bush promised swift federal action. In Minneapolis, the president gave no timeline for rebuilding the bridge but said he would work to cut the bureaucratic red tape that could delay the project.
In his French Quarter speech, Bush said the government would "stay as long as it takes, to help citizens rebuild their communities and their lives."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BRIDGE_COLLAPSE_PROMISES?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
