Saturday, September 10 - Day 15
On the eve of the September 11 anniversary, President Bush invokes the spirit of unity that followed those attacks. In his weekly radio address, he says that "adversity brings out the best in the American Spirit" and vows "we will make the Gulf Coast more vibrant than ever."
On the Gulf Coast: The mayors of Pascagoula and Biloxi, Mississippi, join the critics of FEMA's response to the disaster. "Everything we did was on our own," Biloxi Mayor Ben Morris says.
Sunday, September 11 - Day 16
After attending a prayer and remembrance service for September 11 victims, President Bush flies to New Orleans. He spends the night aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, docked at the city's downtown Riverwalk and used as a command center.
On the Gulf Coast: The official death toll from hurricane Katrina rises past 400, and while bodies continue to be recovered, officials believe the final count will be well below early predictions that were as high as 10,000.
Monday, September 12 - Day 17
President Bush takes a ground-level tour of New Orleans with Mayor Nagin and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, seeing areas where the floodwaters have been cleared and driving through still-flooded neighborhoods in a convoy of military trucks. Bush later visits St. Bernard Parish and Gulfport, Mississippi. Back in Washington, FEMA director Michael Brown resigns. The White House quickly names as acting director David Paulison, a 30-year fire and rescue veteran.
In New Orleans: Forty percent of the city is underwater, down from 80 percent when the floodwaters were at their highest. The EPA announces that among contaminants such as coliform bacteria, the floodwaters also contain dangerous levels of lead.
Tuesday, September 13 - Day 18
At a joint news conference with visiting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, President Bush says, "Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government and to the extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility." He praises the first responders and Coast Guard crews "on the front lines of saving lives" in the region.
In New Orleans: Mable and Salvador Mangano Sr., owners of St. Rita's nursing home, are charged with 34 counts of negligent homicide. A lawyer for the Manganos says they were not told about the mandatory evacuation order and were reluctant to endanger the most fragile patients by moving them.
Wednesday, September 14 - Day 19
President Bush participates in the 60th anniversary session of the U.N. General Assembly. Speaking to world leaders gathered for a three-day summit, Bush says, "We have witnessed the awesome power of nature -- and the greater power of human compassion. Americans have responded to their neighbors in need, and so have many of the nations represented in this chamber." Opinion polls show Bush's approval ratings continuing to slide in the aftermath of the disaster.
In New Orleans: Mayor Nagin says that he will announce a "phased repopulation plan" that will bring some 180,000 residents back into the city over the next two weeks. The towns of Westwego, Gretna and Lafitte in suburban Jefferson Parish reopen to residents.
Thursday, September 15 - Day 20
President Bush addresses the nation live from New Orleans' Jackson Square in the heart of the French Quarter at 9 p.m. ET. The speech laying out the president's reconstruction plans did not have a live audience, similar to the speech he gave on Liberty Island in 2002 to mark the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
In New Orleans: Mayor Nagin announces his repopulation plan and says that the French Quarter will be open for business by September 26, less than a month after the storm. Business owners will be allowed to return to the relatively dry central business district, Uptown and Algiers over the weekend; residents will be allowed back the following week.
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