WASHINGTON — Seeking to avoid a Hurricane Katrina-like leadership failure, President Barack Obama assured the nation Saturday that he was keeping close watch on the Midwest’s floods and putting the government’s full weight behind efforts to prevent disaster.
“Even as we face an economic crisis which demands our constant focus, forces of nature can also intervene in ways that create other crises to which we must respond — and respond urgently,” the president said in his weekly radio and Internet address. “I will continue to monitor the situation carefully. We will do what must be done to help.”
Obama also implored residents of North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota to be vigilant in following instructions from officials.
He repeatedly praised volunteers stockpiling sandbags and building levees, saying “their service isn’t just inspirational — it’s integral to our response.”
