Former President George W. Bush returned to New Orleans on Friday to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the storm that devastated the city.
Bush, who has pushed back on criticisms that the federal government's response to the storm was inadequate, spoke at Warren Easton Charter High School, where he also spoke on the first anniversary of the storm, The Associated Press reported.
In his remarks, Bush focused on the resilience of New Orleans and praised leaders who have rebuilt and improved the city's education system since the storm. Those people, Bush said "looked into the eye of the storm, and refused to back down."
"On this anniversary, the work of making a stronger and more hopeful New Orleans goes on," Bush said. "The darkness from a decade ago has lifted, the crescent has risen again, and its best days lie ahead."
Alexina Medley, the principal and CEO of Warren Easton, told The Huffington Post that the last time Bush spoke at the school it didn't have a gym, air conditioning or a health center.
"I think after the storm we’ve proven that we came back strong and we continue to be strong," she said. "We’ve proven we can change with the times to make things better for our population. and i think that’s what a good school is all about."
Rebecca Klein contributed reporting.
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