President Barack Obama Monday visited storm-hit Louisiana, grappling with flooding and power cuts, at the end of a four-day trip packed with campaign events.
Flying into New Orleans, Obama toured part of the town of LaPlace in St. John the Baptist Parish, a community severely hit by the hurricane, Reuters reported. The president saw toppled trees, debris and waterlogged roads and paused during the tour to interact with a few locals.
"There has been enormous devastation in St. John's Parish," Obama was quoted as saying in the report.
He lauded volunteers who were helping the hurricane-stricken community, "because they care about their neighbors and they care about their friends."
"That's what we do here in the United States of America. That's what we do here in Louisiana," Obama was quoted as saying by WDSU news. "When disasters like this happen, we set aside whatever petty disagreements we may have. Nobody's a Democrat or a Republican -- we're all just Americans looking out for one another."
Seven people, five in New Orleans and two in Mississippi, were died in the storm that hit seven years after Hurricane Katrina. About 125,000 people remained without power in Louisiana, Reuters reported citing the governor's office. About 2,600 evacuees remained in emergency shelters while many were staying with their friends and relatives.
Obama's Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney visited Louisiana Friday to assess the damage.
Playing down the political reasons behind the presidential visit to Louisiana, the White House highlighted the fact that Louisiana's Republican governor, Bobby Jindal, accompanied both Obama and Romney during their visits.