Louisiana's governor Wednesday appealed to U.S. lawmakers for swift financial help to rebuild from the double hit of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which she said had wiped out nearly 400,000 jobs in the state and 40 per cent of its businesses. dpa rported Governor Kathleen Blanco's plea before Congress in Washington was a reminder that the two storms have caused widespread unemployment and suffering - and will require a long recovery. She likened the impact to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. "Just as the nation knew that we must recreate the economic greatness of New York City after 9/11, the nation and the world need New Orleans. They need south Louisiana," Blanco said. Rita hit the oil and gas region of eastern Texas and western Louisiana last week, destroying homes and causing flooding. In New Orleans, flood dikes still weakened from Hurricane Katrina gave way, leaving parts of the city under water for the second time in three weeks. --More 2302 Local Time 2002 GMT
