The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

As the deadly human and physical destruction brought by Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans and surrounding areas became more evident…

As the deadly human and physical destruction brought by Hurricane Katrina to New Orleans and surrounding areas became more evident during the week the political and economic consequences of the disaster for the United States also became more clear.

President George Bush has a major crisis on his hands in giving leadership to the relief effort and demonstrating the high priority of reconstruction for one of the poorest regions in the United States. There are suggestions that necessary resources are diverted by the Iraq war effort. The fact that 12 per cent of US oil refineries have been knocked out by the hurricane has reinforced fears it could provoke an international energy crisis, while the damage to this major trade hub could fuel US inflation and stifle economic growth there.

The sheer scale of the human suffering involved is the deepest impression left by the disaster. Thousands of people have probably died, hundreds of thousands have lost their homes and many millions more will be affected by it. The scenes of desperation, hunger and thirst have been deeply etched by riveting reportage and reinforced by news that it will take months and years to repair the damage. Many of those worst hit are among the poorest of the poor in the US and without insurance. The chaos, looting and armed robberies were dramatised by yesterday's instructions to troops and national guardsmen to interrupt relief efforts in an attempt to restore public order.

Mr Bush, when he visits the area today, has ground to make up in showing he understands how serious is the damage and its potential national consequences. There is growing criticism of a lack of preparedness for such a predictable event, of cuts in federal funding for environmental protection for the New Orleans levees which burst in two places, and a seeming lack of urgency in his personal response. Some 40 per cent of national guardsmen in Mississippi and Louisiana are currently serving in Iraq, while the Department of Homeland Security is preoccupied with terrorism, not disaster relief.

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Mr Bush's media response has so far been unimpressive in the face of what he describes as one of the worst natural disasters ever to hit his country - however unfair some of these criticisms may be. The economic fallout will be much larger than was initially understood, because the New Orleans area is a crucial trading, production and distribution centre for key commodities.

Most scientists deny hurricanes are caused by global warming or that their frequency will be affected by it. But there is an important research effort under way on the potential linkages involved. Any such evidence can be resolved only with scientific rigour. Nevertheless, the ferocity of such natural forces must raise longer-term questions about how human activity is changing world climate, what we can do about it and whether the Bush administration's culture of denial that this is so will shift. American public opinion will now be put to the test.