President George W. Bush, trying to prove his administration has learned from the disaster of Hurricane Katrina three years ago, traveled to Texas on Monday for briefings on Hurricane Gustav, which battered the Gulf coast with flood waters and strong winds. Bush had been scheduled to address the Republican National Convention on Monday night, but he instead flew to Austin and San Antonio in Texas, about 640 kilometers west of where Gustav hit the Louisiana coast. The president received an hour-long briefing aboard his airplane and planned to learn more about the storm at a Texas emergency operations center in Austin and a command center in San Antonio. Asked if Bush was satisfied so far by the response of the government, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino replied, “Yes, so far.” Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director David Paulison told reporters aboard Bush's airplane that there has been “unprecedented cooperation” among federal agencies and the private sector. “What it allows us to do is share information of what's going on so we don't end up with what happened in Katrina, with different agencies doing things and others not knowing what's happening,” he said. By traveling to Texas, Bush sought to show the country, and particularly people on the Gulf coast, that he is committed to answering their needs. He said he hopes to visit Louisiana, but will choose a time that does not interfere with emergency response efforts.
