President George W. Bush ordered more than 7,000 active duty forces to the Gulf Coast on Saturday as his administration intensified efforts to rescue survivors and send aid to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. "In America, we do not abandon our fellow citizens in their hour of need," Bush said. In addition to the active duty forces, 10,000 additional National Guard troops were being sent to the Gulf Coast. That raises the number of Guard personnel in the stricken states to about 40,000. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told a news conference that more than 100,000 people already had received humanitarian aid and the Coast Guard has rescued 9,500 people. The federal government, he said, will "break the mold" on emergency assistance. He said he was heading back to New Orleans to oversee the next phase of relief efforts. --MORE 1041 Local Time 0741 GMT
