All the dead from Hurricane Katrina had not yet been recovered, and staggering destruction littered block after block of New Orleans, but there were signs of hope in and around the nearly empty city yesterday.

President George W. Bush, hit by criticism for his administration’s response to the storm, prepared to return to the devastated region later in the day for another visit, his third and longest. It will include an overnight stay with stops in both Louisiana and Mississippi.

There was good news from the US Army Corps of Engineers, which said it will take half the time originally thought to pump the city dry – 40 days not 80. Forty-seven pumps were pulling water poisoned with chemicals, gasoline and sewage out of the historic below sea level city.

New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport will reopen to passenger traffic tomorrow and was already open for freight traffic. Officials in Plaquemines Parish south of the city said they would lift a mandatory evacuation order for some areas yesterday.

Most importantly, the fear of a death toll numbering in the thousands in New Orleans that some officials predicted had not come true – though the search for victims was far from over. “We’ll be well. We can do it,” remarked Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco. “I see signs of hope all around us. Lights are coming on, and things are happening all around.”

A Time Magazine poll found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe New Orleans should be rebuilt, with a better levee system to protect against another flooding catastrophe like the one caused by the storm that came ashore August 29.

But the city where 450,000 once lived faced long-term disruption. Some may never return to ruined homes. The New Orleans Times Picayune reported on Saturday that Mayor Ray Nagin had bought a house in Dallas and moved his family there. Nagin said he would return to New Orleans and make occasional visits to his family.

New hurricane hovering

By boat and on foot, firefighters, soldiers and trained mortuary workers pried open doors and cut their way through walls across the city. They found bodies and even survivors, still clinging to life where they had been trapped.

In Louisiana, the official death toll stood at 154. Mississippi, the other hardest hit state, had 211 confirmed killed. There were also fatalities, though much lower numbers, in Alabama and Florida. Some still defied orders to evacuate, including one Bourbon Street bar that has refused to close. Police and soldiers were using persuasion instead of force in most cases.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it distributed $688 million in aid to displaced families in “record time.” The money went to nearly 268,000 households in Louisiana, 52,000 in Mississippi and 12,000 in Alabama, it said. The agency’s much criticized chief, Michael Brown, was relieved of supervision of recovery efforts. Bush also suffered from the political fall-out (see inset).

Federal officials have put cost at between $100 billion and $200 billion. Congress approved $62.3 billion for hurricane relief sought by Bush, who said further requests will come. There has been an outpouring of private donations. The American Red Cross, which has 36,000 volunteers in the field, said it will recruit 40,000 more volunteers.

The State Department said there had been no confirmed deaths of foreign nationals in the coastal area ravaged by the storm though efforts are still under way to account for those who have not been heard from. Meanwhile, another hurricane, Ophelia, hovered off the coast of the southeastern United States yesterday, gathering strength slightly but confounding forecasters who could not predict where the storm would make landfall.

Jason WEBB Kieran MURRAY

RESPONSIBILITY

Bush faces widespread dissatisfaction

■ US President George W. Bush has failed to recapture the spirit of national unity he championed in the weeks and months after the September 11 attacks, and widespread dissatisfaction with the federal government’s slow response to the storm has helped send his poll numbers to all-time lows. A “Newsweek magazine” survey found that 38 % of Americans approved of Bush’s performance, down from 42 % in early August. While Democrats had rallied to help Bush after September 11, this time they raised pointed questions about the slow federal response to the hurricane, demanded an independent investigation and criticized his handling of the crisis. Many Republicans have joined in criticisms of the response. A Mississippi Democrat criticized the White House for failing to follow through on its promise after the New York attacks to ensure the country was prepared for a catastrophe. “Like that day four Septembers ago, we once again find ourselves asking, ‘How could this have happened?” said Rep. Bennie Thompson. “The answer is painful, but it must be acknowledged: we simply were unprepared.”