President Bush has again underscored his commitment to helping the devastated U.S. Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Katrina. On Saturday in his weekly radio address, Mr. Bush said the government's first commitment is to meet the immediate needs of the displaced residents. He said the evacuees should be out of the shelters by mid-October, and that the government is providing direct assistance, mobile homes, and trailers for that transition. Mr. Bush was criticized for an initially slow federal response to the disaster. Meanwhile in the Democratic response, Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco thanked people across the nation for their assistance to hurricane survivors. Saying this crisis leaves no room for partisan politics, she asked Congress and the federal government for help in what she called an "epic task of reconstruction."