WEST TISBURY, Mass. _ President Barack Obama plans to visit Louisiana next week to assess the damage of massive floods there and to talk with local officials about how the federal government can best help in recovery, the White House said Friday.
Obama wants to get a "first-hand look" at the devastation, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement.
The president has come under fire for sticking with his vacation here on the resort island of Martha's Vineyard as flooding has damaged tens of thousands of homes and killed at least 13 people in Louisiana.
The discordant images dredged up memories of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when President George W. Bush decided to remain on vacation but do a fly-over in the region. Critics seized on the move as a symbol of Bush's indifference to the suffering of hurricane victims.
Aides to Obama brushed off comparisons, arguing that a presidential visit too soon after the floods would take up time and energy of local officials while they are trying to deal with an emergency. And Louisiana's Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, publicly asked Obama on Thursday to stay away until the state was ready for a visit.
White House advisors cited Obama's daily briefings on the flooding during vacation, including an update Friday from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who traveled to Louisiana on Thursday.
Obama told his staff to coordinate with Louisiana officials to find a good time for him to visit, aides said.
"The president is mindful of the impact that his travel has on first responders and wants to ensure that his presence does not interfere with ongoing recovery efforts," Earnest said.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump toured the flood-ravaged state Friday, drawing praise from residents.
Pam West, 63, called Trump's visit "awesome. ... Our own dear president is too busy at Martha's Vineyard to visit us," West said as she picked up a box of donated toiletries from a Samaritan's Purse truck. She and her husband had to be rescued by boat. They had never been affected by flooding and have no flood insurance, she said.
"I'm hoping a lot of people who were going to vote for Hillary (Clinton) will see he came and vote for him," she said of Trump. "He's our only hope."
