NEW ORLEANS, Sept 12: President George Bush got his first close-up view of storm-wrecked New Orleans on Monday — two weeks after Hurricane Katrina turned one of America’s proudest cities into a swamp.

Relief and rescue efforts inched forward. More pumps came online and helped lower flood levels in some districts, while health officials launched an insecticide spraying campaign to thwart mosquito-borne disease.

Many districts, especially in the eastern part of the city, remain under deep brown floodwaters up to two metres deep and covered with a floating sludge of trash and smashed homes. Streets there are only accessible by boat.

President Bush, who has previously flown over the city but not seen the situation on the ground, spent the night aboard the USS Iwo Jima helicopter carrier, moored in New Orleans, where he was briefed on the rescue operation.

Seeking to counter criticism over his handling of the disaster with photo opportunities featuring relief workers and troops, Mr Bush toured parts of flooded New Orleans in a military convoy and from the air in a helicopter.

He then visited Gulfport, Mississippi, according to a White House schedule, before returning to Washington.

A business-like president arrived in the flooded region late on Sunday.

Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen briefed Mr Bush, local officials, and Lt Gen Russel Honore, who was in charge on the military aspect of Katrina response, about efforts to find temporary housing for survivors.

Mr Bush refused to identify any specific failures in Washington’s response to Katrina, but flatly dismissed critics who have noted that most of those unable or unwilling to flee the drowned city were black.

“The storm didn’t discriminate, and neither will the recovery effort,” he said, also rejecting reported comments by National Guard’s Lt Gen Steven Blum that a day of response time was ‘arguably’ lost due to deployments in Iraq.—AFP