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live from new york city. let's hear new orleans a little bit here. there you go. give me a little mix here. it has been almost ten years since hurricane katrina devastated the gulf coast, in particular new orleans. parts of the city have rebuilt and flourishes some areas are still struggling a decade later. the president is speaking now. let's have a listen. >> as soon as i land in new orleans, first thing i do is get hungry. [ laughter ] >> when i was here with the family a few years ago, i had a shrimp po-boy at parkway bakery and tavern, i still remember it. that's how good it was. and one day i leave office, maybe i'll finally hear a rebirth of the maple leaf on tuesday night. [ cheers and applause ] >> i'll get a chance to see the

mardi gras and somebody tell me what carnival is for. but right now i just go to meetings. [ laughter ] >> i want to thank michelle for the introduction and more importantly for the great work she is doing. what symbolizes, what she represents in terms of the city bouncing back. i want to acknowledge a great friend and somebody who has been working tirelessly on behalf of this city, and he is following a family legacy of service. your major, mitch landrieu. [ cheers and applause ] >> i'm proud of him. his beautiful wife, cheryl. senator bill cassidy is here. there he is. [ cheers and applause ] >> congressman cedrick richmond. [ cheers and applause ] >> where is congressman? there he is over there.

we have got a lifelong champion of louisiana in your former senator, mary landrieu in the house. cheer [ applause ] >> i want to acknowledge a great supporter to the efforts to recover and rebuild, the congressman from new york who has traveled down here with us. [ applause ] >> to all of the elected officials from louisiana and mississippi here today, thank you so much for your reception. i'm here to talk about a specific recovery. but before i begin to talk just about new orleans, i want to talk about america's recovery. take a little moment of presidential privilege to talk about what has been happening in our economy. this morning we learned that our

economy grew at a stronger and more robust clip back in the spring than anybody knew at the time. the data always lags. we already knew over the past five and a half years our businesses have created 13 million new jobs. [ applause ] >> these -- [ applause ] >> these new numbers that came out, showing that the economy was growing at a 3.7% clip, means that the united states of america remains an anchor of global strength and stability in the world; that we have recovered faster, more steadily, stronger than just about any economy after the worst financial crisis since the great depression. and it's important for us to remember that strength.

it's been a volatile few weeks around the world. and there's been a lot of reports in the news and stock markets swinging and worries about china and about europe, but the united states of america for all of the challenges that we still have, continue to have the best cards. we just got to play them right. our economy has been moving and continues to grow and unemployment continues to come down, and our work is not yet done, but we have to have that sense of steadiness and vision and purpose in order to sustain this recovery so it reaches everybody and not just some. it's why we need to do everything we can in government to make sure our economy keeps growing. that requires congress to

protect our momentum, not kill it. congress is about to come back from a six-week recess. the deadline to fund the government is as always the end of september, and so i want everybody just to understand that congress has about a month to pass a budget that helps our economy grow, otherwise rerisk shutting down the government and services we all count on for the second time in two years. that would not be responsible. it does not have to happen. congress needs to fund america in a way that invests in our economy and security and not cuts us off at the knees by locking in mindless austerity or short-sided sequester cuts. i said i will veto a budget like that. i think most americans would agree. we have to invest in infrastructure, schools, public health, the research and develop

that keeps our companies on the cutting edge. that's what great nations do. [ applause ] >> that's what great nations do. so . . . and eventually we're going to do it anyway, so let's just do it without too much -- let's do it without another round of threats to shut down the government. [ applause ] >> let's not introduce unrelated partisan issues. nobody gets to hold the american economy hostage over their idealogical demands. you, the people that send us to washington expect better. am i correct? [ applause ] >> so my message to congress is pass a budget, prevent a shut down, don't wait until the last minute. don't worry our businesses or workers by contributing unnecessarily to global

uncertainty. get it done and keep the united states the anchor of global strength that we are and always should be. now, that's a process of national recovery that from coast-to-coast we have been going through. but there's been a specific process of recovery that is perhaps unique in my lifetime. right here in the state of louisiana. right here in new orleans. [ applause ] >> not long ago our gathering here in the lower nine probably would have seemed unlikely, as i was flying here today with a home girl from louisiana, donna brazil, she saved all of the magazines, and she was whipping them out, and one of them was a

picture of the lower ninth right after the storm had happened, and the notion that there would be anything left, seemed unimaginable at the time. today this new community center standings as a symbol of the extraordinary resilience of this city. the extraordinary resilience of its people. the extraordinary resilience of the gulf coast and the united states of america, you are an example of what is possible when in the face of tragedy and hardship, good people come together to lend a hand, and brick by brick, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, you build a better future. and that more than any other reason is why i have come back here today. plus mitch landry asked me too. [ laughter ] >> it's -- it's been --

>> [ inaudible ]. [ laughter ] >> it's been ten years since katrina hit, devastating communities in louisiana and mississippi, across the gulf coast. in the days following its landfall, more than 1800 of our fellow citizens, men, women, and children lost their lives. some folks in this room may have lost a loved one in that storm. thousands of people saw their homes destroyed, livelihoods wiped out. hopes and dreams shattered. many scattered in an exdouse to cities across the country, and too many still haven't returned. those who stayed and lived

through that epic struggle still feel the trauma sometimes of what happened. there's one woman from gentilli recently wrote me, a deep part of the whole story is the grief. so there's grief then and there's still some grief in our hearts. here in new orleans, a city that embodies a celebration of life, suddenly seemed devoid of life, a place once defined by color and sound, the second line down the street, the crawfish boils in backyards, the music always in the air, suddenly was dark and silent, and the world watched in horror. we saw those rising waters drown the iconic streets of new orleans. families stranded on roof tops,

bodies in the streets. children crying, crowded in the superdome. an american city darkened under water, and this was something that was supposed to never happen here. maybe someplace else, but not here, not in america. and we came to realize that what started out as a natural disaster became a man made disaster. a failure of government to look out for its own citizens. and the storm lay bare a deeper tragedy that has been brewing for decades, because we came to understand that new orleans like so many cities and communities across the country had for too long been plagued by structural inequalities that left too many people, especially poor people, especially people of color, without good jobs or affordable

healthcare or decent housing. too many kids grew up by violent crimes, cycling through sub-standard schools, where few had a shot to break o out -- poverty, so like a body weakened and undernourished already when the storm hit, there was no resources to fall back on. shortly after i visit visited -- shortly after the storm, i visited with folks, not here, because we couldn't distract local recovery efforts, instead i visited folks in a shelter in houston, many of whom had been displaced. and one woman told me. we had nothing before the hurricane, and now we have less than nothing.

we had nothing before the hurricane, now we have less than nothing. and we acknowledge this loss and this pain, not to dwell on the past, not to -- not to wallow in grief. we do it to fortify our commitment, and to bolster our hope. to understand what it is that we have learned and how far we have come, because this is a city that is slowly unmistakably, together, is moving forward. because the project of rebuilding here wasn't just to restore the city has it had been, it was to build a city as it should be. a city where everyone no matter what they looked like, how much money they have got, where they are born, has a chance to make

it. [ applause ] >> and i'm here to say that on that larger project, of a better, stronger, more just new orleans, the progress that you have made is remarkable. [ applause ] >> the progress you have made is remarkable. [ applause ] >> that's not to say things are perfect. mitch would be the first one to say that. we know that african americans and folks in hard-hit parrishes like plaquer mine, and st. bernard, are less likely to feel like they have recovered. certainly we know violence still scars the lives of too many youth in this city. as hard as rebuilding levies are, as hard as -- i -- i agree with that, but i -- i'll get to

that. [ laughter ] >> thank you ma'am. >> as hard as rebuilding levies is, as hard as rebuilding housing is, real change, real lasting structural change, that's even harder. and it takes courage to experiment with new ideas. and change the old ways of doing things. that's hard. getting it right and making sure that everybody is included, and everybody has a fair shot at success, that takes time. that's not unique to new orleans. we have got those challenges all across the country. but i'm here to say, i'm here to hold up a mirror, and say, because of you, the people of new orleans working together, this city is moving in the right direction, and i have never been more confident that together, we will get to where we need to go. [ applause ] >> you inspire me.

your efforts inspire me, and no matter how hard it has been, and how hard and how long the road ahead might seem. you are working, and building, and striving for a better tomorrow. i see evidence of it all across this city. and by the way along the way, the people of new orleans, didn't just inspire me, you inspired all of america. folks have been watching what has happened here. and they have seen a reflection of the very best of the american spirit. as president, i have been proud to be your partner. across the board, i have made the recovery, and rebuilding of the gulf coast a priority. i made promises when i was a senator that i would help, and i

have kept those promises. [ applause ] >> we're cutting red tape to help you build back even stronger. we're taking the lessons we have learned here and applied them across the country including places like new york and new jersey after hurricane sandy. if katrina was initially an example of what happens when government fails, the recovery has been example of what is possible when government working together, state, local -- [ applause ] >> -- community, everybody working together as true partners. together we have delivered resources to help louisiana, mississippi, alabama, and florida rebuild schools and hospitals, roads, police and fire stations. restore historic buildings and

museums. and we're building smarter. doing everything from elevating homes to retrofitting buildings to improving drainage so our communities are better prepared for the next storm. working together, we have transformed education in this city, before the storm, new orleans public schools were largely broken, leaving generations of low-income kids without a decent education. today thanks to parents and educators, school leaders, non-profits, we're seeing real gains in achievement with new schools, more restores to retain and develop and support great teachers and principals. we have data that shows before the storm the high school graduate rate was 54%. today it's up to 73%. [ applause ] >> before the storm college enrollment was 37%. today it's almost 60%. [ applause ]

>> we still have a long way to go, but that is real progress. new orleans is coming back better and stronger. working together, we're providing housing assistance to more families today than before the storm with new apartments and housing vouchers and we will keep working until everybody who wants to come home can come home. [ applause ] >> together we're building a new orleanses that is as entrepreneurial as anyplace in the country, with a focus on expanding job opportunities and making sure more people benefit from a better economy here. we're rebuilding the industry's transportation infrastructure. expanding industries like high-tech manufacturing, but also water management. because we have been building good water management around here, and we want to make sure everybody has access to those

good -- well-paying jobs. small businesses like michelle's are growing. it's small businesses like hers that are helping to fuel 65-straight months of job growth in america. that's the longest streak in american history. [ applause ] >> together we're doing more to make sure that everyone in this city has access to great healthcare. more folks have access to primary care at neighborhood clinics so that they can get the preventative care that they need. we're building a brand new va medical center downtown, alongside a thriving bioscienceings corridor that is attracting new jobs and investment. we are working to make sure that we have additional mental health facilities, across the city and across the country, and more people have access to quality

affordable health care, some of the more than 16 million americans that gained health insurance over the past few years -- [ applause ] >> -- all of this progress is the result of the commitment and drive of the people of this region. i saw that spirit today. we -- mitch and i started walking around a little bit. such a nice day outside. and we went to foeberg la feet, and we saw returning residents living in brand new homes, mixed income, new homes near schools and clinics and parks, child care centers, more opportunities for working families. we saw that spirit today at willie may's scotch house. [ laughter ] >> after katrina has destroyed that legendary restaurant, some of the best chefs in the country

decided that america could not afford to lose such an important place, so they came down here to help. helped rebuild and i just sampled some of her fried chicken. [ laughter ] >> it was really good. [ laughter ] >> but i did get a grease spot on my suit. [ laughter ] >> but that's okay, if -- if you come to new orleans and you don't have a grease spot somewhere then you didn't enjoy the city. [ applause ] >> just glad i didn't get it on my tie. [ laughter ] >> we all just heard that spirit of new orleans and the remarkable young people from roots of music. [ cheers and applause ] >> when the storm washed away a lot of middle school music

programs, roots of music helped fill that gap, and today it's building the next generation of musical talent. the next trombone shortly, or the next dr. john. there is a marsalus kid in somewhere. and i saw the wonderful young men in here earlier that were part of no for life, focused on reducing the number of murders in the city of new orleans. [ applause ] >> this is a program that works with the white house's my brother's keepers initiative, to make sure that all young people, and particularly our boys and young men of color who so disproportionately are impacted by crime and violence, had the opportunity to fulfill their full potential. in fact after the storm this city became a laboratory for

urban innovation across the board. and we have been tackling with you, as a partner, all sorts of major challenges, fighting poverty, supporting our homeless veterans, and as a result, new orleans has become a model for the nation as the first major city to end veterans' homelessness -- [ applause ] >> -- which is a remarkable achievement. you are also becoming a model for the nation when it comes to disaster response and resilience. we learned lessons from katrina. the army corps of engineers developed better levies. we built a $14 billion system of improved levies and pump stations and gates, a system that stood the test of hurricane isaac. we revamped fema, and i just have to say, by the way, there's a man named craig fewgate, who

runs fema, and has been doing extraordinary work and his team all across the country every time there's a disaster. [ applause ] >> i love me some craig fewgate. [ laughter ] >> although it's a little disturbing, you know, he gets excited when there's disasters, because gets restless if everything is just quiet. [ laughter ] >> but under his leadership we have revamped fema into a stronger more efficient agency. the whole federal government has gotten smarter at preventing and recovering from disasters, and serving as a better partner to local and state governments, and as i'll talk about next week, when i visit alaska, making our communities more resilient is going to be increasingly important because we're going to see more extreme weather events as the result of climate change, deeper droughts, deadlier

wildfires, stronger storms. that's why in addition to things like new and better levies, we have also been investing in restoring wetlands and other natural systems that are just as critical for storm protection. so we have made a lot of progress over the last ten years. you have made a lot of progress. that gives us hope. but it doesn't allow for complacency. it doesn't mean we can rest. our work here won't be done when almost 40% of children still live in poverty in this city. that's not a finished job. that's not a full recovery. our work won't be done when a typical black household earns half of the income of white households in this city. the work is not done yet. [ applause ]

>> our work is not done when there's still too many people who have yet to find good affordable housing, and too many people, especially african american men who can't find a job. [ applause ] >> not when -- not when there is still too many people who haven't been able to come back home. folks who around the country every day live the words sung by loui arm strong, do you know what it means to miss new orleans. [ laughter ] >> but the thing is, the people of new orleans, there is something in you guys that is just irrepressible. [ laughter ] >> you guys have a way of making a way out of no way. [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> you know the sun comes out after every storm. you have got hope.

especially your young people, reflect hope. young people like victor york carter. where is victor? standing up victor. i was just talking to victor. i had some lunch with him. these are the fine young men i just met with. stand up, everybody. these are the guys who -- [ applause ] >> -- who i ate chicken with. [ applause ] >> really impressive. have overcome more than their fair share of challenges, but are still focused on the future. you can sit down. i don't want you to start getting embarrassed. [ laughter ] >> so i'll just give you one example. victor grew up in the 8th ward, gifted art student, loved math. he was 13 when katrina hit. and he remembers waking up to what looked like something out

of a disaster movie. he and his family waded across the city toeing his younger brother in a trash can to keep him afloat. they were eventually evacuated to texas. six months later they returned, and the city was almost unrecognizable. victors saw his peers struggling to cope, many still traumatized. their lives disordered. so he joined an organization called rethink. to help young people get more involved in rebuilding new orleans. and recently he finished a coding boot camp at operation spark. today he is studying to earn a high-tech job. wants to introduce more people to science and technology and civics. they have the tools to change the world. and victor and these young men that i just met with, they have overcome extraordinary odds. they have lived through more than most of us will ever have

to endure. [ applause ] >> they have made . . . [ applause ] >> they have made some mistakes along the way. but for all that they have been through, they have been just as determined to improve their own lives, to take responsibility for themselves, but also to try to see if they can help others along the way. sohen i talk to young men like that, that gives me hope. it is still hard. i told them they can't get down on themselves. tough stuff will happen along the way. but if they have come this far, they can keep on going. [ applause ] >> and americans like you . . . [ applause ] >> the people of new orleans,

young men like this, you are what recovery has been all about. you are why i'm confident that we can recover from crisis and start moving forward. you have helped this country recover from a crisis and help it move forward. you are the reason 13 million new jobs have been created. you are the reason the unemployment rate fell, you are the reason that layoffs are at an all-time low, you are the reasons that the uninsured rate is at an all time low, and the deficit has been cut, and two cars are over. [ applause ] >> and -- and nearly -- 180,000 american troops who were serving in iraq and afghanistan have now gone down to 15,000, and a clean energy revolution is helping to save this planet. you are the reason why justice is expanded and now we're focused on make ur -- sure that

everybody is treated fairly under the law and why people have the freedom to mary whomever they want to mary from sea to shining sea. [ applause ] >> we're moving into the next presidential cycle, the next political season, and you will hear a lot of people telling you everything that is wrong with america. and that's okay. that's a proper part of our democracy. one of the things about america is we're never satisfied. we keep pushing forward. we keep asking questions. we keep challenging our government. we keep challenging our leaders. we keep looking for the next set of challenges to tackle. we find what is wrong, because we have confidence that we can fix it. but it's important that we remember what is right. and what is good. and what is hopeful about this country. it's worth remembering that for

all the tragedy, for all of the images of katrina in those first few days and those first few months, look at what has happened here. it's worth remembering the thousands of americans like michelle and -- and victor and miss willie may, and the folks who rallied around here, americans all across this country who when they saw neighbors and friends or strangers in need, came to help. and people who today still spend their time, every day, helping others, rolling up their sleeves, doing the hard work of changing this country, without the need for credit or the need for glory, don't get their name in the papers, don't see their day in the sun, do it because it's right. these americans live the basic values that define this country.

the value that we have been reminded of in these past ten years as we have come back from a crisis that changed this city, and an economic crisis that spread throughout the nation, the basic notion that i am my brother's keeper, and i my sister's keeper, and that we look out for each other, and we're all in this together. that's the story of new orleans, but also the story of america. a city for almost 300 years has been the gateway to america's soul. where the jazz makes you cry. the funerals make you dance. [ laughter ] >> the bayou makes you believe all kinds of things. [ laughter ] >> a place that has always brought together people of all races and religions and languages, and everybody adds their culture and flavor into this city's gumbo. you remind our nation that for

all of our differences, we're all in the same boat. we all share a similar destiny. if we stay focused on that common purpose, if we remember our responsibility to ourselves, but also our responsibilities and obligations to one another, we will not just rebuild this city, we will rebuild this country, we will make sure, not just these young men, but every child in america has a structure and support and love and the kind of nurturing that they need to succeed. we'll leave behind a city, and a nation that's worthy of generations to come. that's what you have gotten started. now we have got to finish the job. thank you, god bless you. god bless america. [ cheers and applause ] >> and there you have it the president of the united states in new orleans, the lower ninth

ward speaking on the tenth anniversary. we're looking at this tenth anniversary year all week here on al jazeera america. now the president in new orleans today, lower ninth ward which was devastated by hurricane katrina. we don't mention rita much, but we should. he is speaking at a new community center built in the aftermath of the tragedy of the disaster. bud is here, we're going to get to bud in just a moment he is a former commander with the u.s. army corps of engineers. but let's go to jonathan martin in new orleans. good to see you. jonathan i was instruct by the president saying, look, way back to the time when i was senator obama, at the time of the storm, he said look, i -- i made promises. i started making promises as a senator, and i have been making promises as president of the united states, and he said i

have kept all of my promises to new orleans. i wonder what the people there in new orleans think of that. >> reporter: well overwhelmingly tony if you talk to people here in the city, across party lines the feeling seems to be that the president has kept most of those promises. he was here in 2008 as candidate obama, and he said america had failed the city of new orleans, and he pledged to really help this city rebuild in places like education and health care, and he talked and touted some of those areas that he feels his administration has helped this city. the $14 billion spent to protect this city with the new levy system. and the $100 million aloe indicated to the education system here to really help overhaul the education system. now most of the students here go

to charter schools here in new orleans, and we see a totally different landscape. and he talked about the federal money that had been used for the road home building program, which people here in the community were able to apply for federal granths to rebuild their homes. so really talking about a lot of the things he has done, but not really ignoring some of the big issues that still exist. he talked about the crime and there's still a lot of african american men in the city, 52% of black men in the city are still unemployed post ka tra that. so talking about the resiliency, but also not ignoring the fact that there are still a lot of people struggling ten years later. >> look, i haven't been to materials since katrina, and i don't know -- i don't know why that is, but i just haven't. you have been down there quite a bit, and i wonder how much has the city really changed? if you are in the lower ninth

where this new community center is, and you take a look at -- at what is there now, and we can all remember those horrible images and pictures of the first few days. how much has the lower ninth -- how much has new orleans changed? >> reporter: well, you know, tony it really is -- really depends on where you go. the president spoke here at this community center. it just opened in may. it was a $20 million community center. there is a fire station up the road, and a school next to me that just opened. this is an example of part of the lower ninth ward that has come back. but there are still less than half of the people who have come back. but new orleans as a whole the number is 80% have come back. you heard the president say he spent some time in some of the historic neighborhoods where you see a lot of new homes. it looks brand new, but if you

just go a couple of blocks from here, you will see tremendous blight. there are rose of homes that look like they did six, seven, eight, or ten years ago after the storm. so it depends on where you go and who you talk to. >> yeah, i just saw that sign, this is a neighborhood and not a dump. let's bring in a former command we are the u.s. army corps of engineers. bud, you were sitting here with me and. watching the speech. let's roll in some of those pictures, the immediate aftermath of the storm. how quickly after the storm hit did you get to new orleans, bud? >> i wasn't down there right after the storm. it -- it was several weeks -- several weeks later, i went down to see if i could help with some of the levy work and planning the flood gates. >> bud, what did you see? >> oh, it was a sad down.

it was really a sad town. there was no place to stay, no place to get lunch. you know, and that's strange for new orleans, because we go down there for the food. >> that's right. >> and the atmosphere and everything in new orleans, and it was horrifically sad place. >> yeah. what did you -- if i ask you the question -- here we are ten years later, what -- what went wrong? we know the levies failed, right? we know that. i don't know how many documentaries i have seen on this at this point. but what happened? >> well, you know, new orleans first of all is in the wrong place. i mean new orleans is too low -- >> what do you mean it is in the wrong place? >> they have had a terrible time since it was founded in 1718. the french founded it. and it's a great place to control the shipping up and down the mississippi river. however, when it comes to things like mundane things like

sanitary sewage and stormwater and rain water, just the normal every day living has to be carried out of new orleans, even in the 18th and 19th century, you know, new orleans was a series of little canals, where the waist water would go into these ditches, and they would have to be carried out or pumped out or hauled out just to get rid of the wastewater, because there's no way to drain it. >> if it's in the wrong place then, it's in the wrong place now. >> oh, yeah. we saw that. >> yeah. >> we saw it. i mean it's -- most of the flooding that materials is worried about is the mississippi river. when the mississippi river floods, that's when -- they never thought about floods -- well they have thought about it, but it wasn't a major

issue of flooding from lake pontchartrain. there's two ways to protect from flood, one is natural. and new orleans has great natural protection. it has many wetlands, every four miles of wedland will reduce the storm surge by a foot. so the more wetlands the better. and that did pretty well for the storm surge coming in from the south. matter of fact we thought new orleans was going to miss the bullet, because it was coming up on the east side right up the mississippi on the east side, and it looked like it was going to miss new orleans, but counter clockwise swirl of the storm and then unfortunately we have some levies -- the levies that protect the ninth ward, actually, and down there -- >> right. >> these levies are all owned by

different political groups in new orleans. >> oh, my. >> corps of engineers owns some. the parrishes owns some. the city owns some. and i don't know who else the others, but -- probably the state owns some. and once you start looking at a design storm to protect a community like -- a town like new orleans, you -- you pick a design storm. you know, that's the first thing you do -- >> you pick the design storm? >> yeah, what kind of storm are you going to forget for? >> yeah, 100 -- >> 200 to 300 years. you have a .005, to .0033 probability of a storm coming. >> right. >> that's very good as far as theory goes, and risk analysis goes, when you start planning how much money to spending for storm protection. unfortunately when that storm comes two years in a row --

>> i see. >> -- like it did with us, with irene and sandy, you have the 100-year storm two years in a row. >> right. right. bud can i ask you this: 21st century technology being what it is, if the same storm or the same intensity hit today in the same path that katrina took, is new orleans in better condition, in a better place to handle that storm today than it was ten years ago? >> i'll give you a definitely probably. >> probably? >> yeah. >> there have been millions of dollars -- >> they put a lot of money into it. it's well designed. the things that the corps have built are well built. they put flood-control gateses

at the 17th street canal, the london street canal, and the lower harbor navigation canal. they put flood gates there that can be opened. and that would protect from a katrina storm. they have rebuilt the flood walls. matter of fact they have changed the design. they did have just a straight wall designed with -- with sheet piles below it. now they put a t on the bottom, because they found that there was too much erosion around the foot of these flood walls. what worries me for a katrina-type storm is how are the levies along the mississippi river on the east side of new orleans on down to the gulf f. >> right. right. right. >> before there were ways to build a levy, put a solid clay core on the inside, compact the foundation -- >> yeah. >> -- and then protect the slopes of the storm, and protect the core, and then protect the

toe of the levies, that's pretty good. well, they built these levies, and this is what really destroyed the ninth ward was they built these live -- levies using a bridge fill from the mississippi channel there, and it was comprised of mostly sand and shell, stuff like that, no clay. so you know what happens to sand once you start running water through it, it just collapses. >> it's not the same construction now? >> well, now -- i -- i assume, and i haven't been back down there -- but they rebuilt these levies with the solid core. >> stay with me. we'll take a break and come back. bud is with us, and jonathan martin is with us in new orleans. we'll take a break with more right after this. ♪

>> and this was something that was supposed to never happen here. maybe someplace else, but not here, not in america. and we came to realize that what started out as a natural disaster, became a man made disaster, a failure of government to look out for its own citizens. >> president obama within the hour here at a new community center that has sprung up in the lower ninth ward, which was devastated by hurricane katrina ten years ago. jonathan martin is in new orleans.

anything strike you from the president's comments? >> reporter: really if you talk to anybody in new orleans, they will tell you despite the federal government's help, it's the people that really decided to come back and galvanize and get the city rebuilt, and that's something we heard the president say over and over. he really said it's the people. it's you who really helped this city, giving acknowledgment to the major, small business owners and community leaders, and he really said he was inspired because of the resiliency of this city, because of what happened ten years later, that's the main reason he wanted to be here. we have a little more from his speech. >> getting it right, and making sure that everybody is included and everybody has a fair shot at success. that takes time. that's not unique to new orleans. we have those challenges all across the country. but i'm here to say, i'm here to hold up a mirror and say, because of you, the people of new orleans, working together, this city is moving in the right

direction, and i have never been more confident that together, we will get to where we need to go. [ applause ] >> you inspire me. >> reporter: so tony, it's also worth noting here this afternoon that tomorrow president george w. bush will be here in new orleans. obviously he may not get the same type of welcome as obama. he was heavily criticized for what many felt was a slow response for when he did come to new orleans, flying over the city to see the disaster, as opposed to coming on the ground, so a lot of people we have spoken to here, not so excited to see him come. and on saturday bill clinton will be here. three presidents visiting this city here on this tenth anniversary of the storm, tony. >> jonathan, i'm curious about george w. bush returning, and the kind of reception he is

likely to receive. we certainly remember the -- the -- the picture -- the flyover in air force one. do we have any idea of what his itinerary is going to be, where he is going to -- to stop and visit? >> reporter: well, we know he is going to be spending most of his time at one of the charter schools, one of the charter schools in the heart of the city, really talking to students. i don't believe there's a public speech that he will be giving, but i talked to probably at least ten to 12 residents and asked what they thought about him coming here, and few of the people here seem to be interested in him coming. feeling that yes, he is coming back to see the progress ten years later, but they don't feel he made new orleans a priority during his presidency. >> jonathan stand by. bud griffiths is here. i'm thinking about some of your

comments before we went to break here. is the -- and you haven't been there, right? i understand that. but in -- from you know of the area, what kind of construction would be necessary to better fortify the lower ninth ward so that another katrina-type storm wouldn't devastate it all over again? >> well, i saw a picture of it -- a picture of the overall view of -- of the ninth ward just yesterday. i just happened to see it, and it looked to me about every third house hasn't been replaced. >> wow. >> and that may be a good thing, because if i was going to replace a house in the ninth ward right now, i would elevate the house. >> yeah. >> i would run an institute at new york university called the resiliency institute for storms and emergencies established by the governor two years ago after

sandy, and we have been working on this thing. we're looking at climate change. we're looking at ocean rise, looking at what is happening and how -- how to protect infrastructure, and houses. one of the things that -- that's going to protect it from water is raising it up. >> yeah. yeah. yeah. >> i would put those houses -- if you put them on the ground it's below sea level, so water is going to seek the lowest level and it is going to be down there. and i would raise those houses even now the new houses, i would raise the houses. >> is that one of the lessons? >> i think it's a lesson. it's one we're coming out with, our research. because it could be in -- in 50 -- you know, 2050, 2030, 2050, even, you know, towards the end of this century, the sea level could rise a significant amount. it varies a lot by, you know, who is making the predictions, but --

>> is that what you are seeing now? the indications, the science suggests? >> absolutely. and i'm not talking about it from a political point of view. >> that would get us both in trouble. >> okay. but -- but we know it's happening. whether it's natural causes or not natural causes. that's neither here nor there that it is happening. you have a sea level rise that could be possible -- i would say possibly anywhere from -- say a very, very, very optimistic number of 30 centimeters to looking up to a meter. >> right. >> meter and a half. now that's -- that's damaging to lower manhattan, damaging to miami, and a disaster for new orleans. >> bud, thanks for the incite. and thanks for the time. bud griffiths, who is now over at nyu. that is all of our time. be sure to tune in tomorrow for half hour special, katrina after the form at 8:30 pm eastern

time. i'm back at 7:00 pm eastern right here.

50 people are found dead in the back of a lauri in austria, as a summit in vienna tries to tackle the flood of refugees continuing to arrive on the shores of europe. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera, live from london. also coming up -- >> what started out as a natural disaster, became a man made disaster, a failure of government to look out for its own citizens. >> new orleans remembers hurricane katrina, as president obama joins the commemorations ten years