The city of New Orleans was devastated and remains partially evacuated, and other communities along the Gulf Coast were also heavily damaged, with hundreds of thousands of people still displaced six months later.
Bush made a formal request for 19.8 billion dollars in emergency money to support ongoing hurricane recovery efforts.
The White House statement said that Bush 'is committed to helping residents of the Gulf Coast rebuild their lives in the wake of the disaster'.
The Bush administration and the state and local governments have come under heavy criticism since Katrina for major problems in the storm preparation, rescue efforts and continuing relief.
