Obama: 'New Orleans Is Coming Back'

President Obama arrived in New Orleans today to mark the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, and pledged to stick with the Gulf Coast until rebuilding is complete. In a speech at Xavier University, soon to be back in operation after being devastated by floodwaters, he called the city a “symbol of resilience and community,” the AP reports. “New Orleans is coming back.”

Even so, he acknowledged there is still much to be done. “We are not going to forget; we are going to stay on it until this area is fully recovered,” he said—and promised a “fortified levee system” would be completed by next year, the Times-Picayune reports. He also spoke about the BP oil spill, pledging to “stay on BP, until the damage to the Gulf and to the lives of the people in this region (are) reversed.” WWLTV has the full text of his speech.