U.S. President George W. Bush makes a statement on the Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science and Technology in New Orleans, Louisiana August 29, 2007. [Photo: Reuters]

U.S. President George W. Bush said Wednesday that recovery is well under way and there's "hope for the future" as the nation marks the 2nd anniversary of the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina.

"Hurricane Katrina broke through the levees, it broke a lot of hearts, it destroyed buildings but it did not affect the spirit of a lot of citizens in this community," said Bush in a speech during his trip to New Orleans, La.

Katrina hit U.S. Gulf Coast two ago, killing roughly 1,600 people and left tens of thousands homeless.

The whole city of New Orleans was virtually wiped out.

Bush acknowledged the task of rebuilding remains enormous, but noted that there is "hope in the future."
The president spoke of the billions of U.S. dollars earmarked for infrastructure, homes and help people put their lives back together.

He said a priority has been repairing and strengthening the levees that broke during the storm, pouring flood waters into the city, much of which lies at or below sea level.

Major repairs on the levees have been completed, and a further to strengthen them will be finished by 2011.

The Bush administration was criticized for its initial response to Hurricane Katrina.

A poll taken earlier this month by CNN shows 52 percent of Americans believe the federal government has not done enough to rebuild areas damaged by Hurricane Katrina.