WASHINGTON, D.C. – Demonstrating his strong commitment to Gulf Coast rebuilding and recovery, President Barack Obama will travel to New Orleans on Thursday, October 15 to get a firsthand look at progress on the ground and hear directly from the people of Louisiana. President Obama’s trip will include two stops, including a town hall event. Having toured the city five times since Katrina before becoming President, this will be the President’s first event that is open to the public. This will enable the people of New Orleans to convey their thoughts, challenges, and feedback directly to him.

Additionally, members of President Obama’s cabinet including Secretaries Napolitano, Donovan, and Duncan will each participate in events throughout the community to review recovery progress.

Since taking office just seven months ago, the Obama Administration has worked hard to provide residents of the Gulf Coast with the tools that they need to recover from the hurricanes, and to rebuild their lives and communities. The Administration is deeply committed to serving the needs of Gulf Coast residents by cutting through the bureaucratic red tape that has delayed assistance and improving coordination among federal agencies and with state and local partners who have too-often failed to collaborate over the past four years. As a result, more than $1 billion in public assistance projects that had been stuck for years have been obligated since the start of the Administration. In addition, thousands of individuals who had been trapped in temporary disaster housing are on the road to self-sufficiency. The Recovery Act has targeted resources into the Gulf to help with recovery and revitalization.

President Obama has also worked to improve disaster preparedness and response nationwide, so that the Gulf Coast and all other regions of the country are more resilient and better prepared in the face of future disasters of all stripes. This includes strengthening Federal emergency programs, enhancing emergency communications, improving disaster housing and shelter, and helping state and local governments, the private sector and individual citizens get better prepared.