The story

The governor of hurricane-battered Louisiana said Wednesday that the prospect of some areas of the state being without electricity for weeks, as power company officials have warned, is unacceptable.

"There is no excuse for delay. We absolutely need to quicken the pace at which power is being restored," Gov. Bobby Jindal said.

Both he and President Bush, who visited the state Wednesday to see areas damaged by Hurricane Gustav, called restoring power the state's priority.

"They've got to get electricity up here in Louisiana," Bush said. "There's a lot of folks from this state that are working hard to restring the lines. I would ask that if utilities in neighboring states have extra manpower, please coordinate with the state and send the folks in." Watch Bush discuss Gustav response

The reluctance of Gustav, now a tropical depression, to leave the area was adding an unwelcome facet to the recovery effort. Read full article »

All About New Orleans • Mississippi • Louisiana • Ray Nagin • Hurricane Gustav