Jindal: ‘We got back up’ from Katrina

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) said on Sunday that his state is rejuvenated following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina a decade earlier.

“First, I think these last 10 years have shown the resilience of the American people,” the GOP presidential candidate told host Martha Raddatz on ABC’s “This Week.”

{mosads}“Even when Katrina and Rita knocked us to our knees, we got back up,” he said of the August 2005 hurricane season. “We can go through everything.”

“Secondly, these last 10 years have shown us that the American people love each other,” added Jindal. “The reality is we were helped by people from all 49 states.”

Jindal argued on Sunday that much of the Gulf Coast region’s recovery after Katrina comes from grassroots support from the nation’s civic institutions.

“They rushed to our aid. They came here and didn’t wait for government permission,” he said. “We live in a very generous country.”

The Louisiana governor then charged that his state and its neighbors are now more capable of weathering natural disasters like Katrina in the future.

“Look, our levees are stronger than they’ve ever been before. But we must not be complacent,” Jindal said. “We are better prepared.”

“We’ve got generators, we’ve got evacuation plans, our healthcare facilities are fortified,” he added.

Jindal made the remarks as New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast observe the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall.

The storm and its resulting devastation remains the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.