Bush poll numbers improve in Rita aftermath

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush's job approval has risen after slumping to new lows on criticism of his handling of deadly Hurricane Katrina, two polls showed on Thursday.

Bush's approval rating climbed to 45 per cent in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll taken September 26-28, up from 40 per cent in a similar poll taken a week ago.

A Fox News poll also showed Bush with a 45 per cent approval rating. That survey, taken on September 27-28, showed a rise in Bush's standing compared to a mid-month poll that gave him a 41 per cent approval rating.

A high-profile response by Bush to Hurricane Rita, the latest storm to hit the Gulf Coast region, appeared to give him a lift.

Seventy-one per cent of those polled by CNN/USA Today/Gallup gave Bush high marks for his handling of Rita, which hit Texas and Louisiana last Saturday.

Rita, however, caused little loss of life compared to Katrina, which killed more than 1,000 people and displaced 1 million.

Only 40 per cent approved of the president's handling of Katrina, which devastated Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on August 29.

Bush traveled to command centers in Colorado, Texas and Louisiana last weekend to monitor Rita's winds and heavy rains and held a series of meeting with military brass and disaster coordinators.

Although he cut short his monthlong Texas vacation to return to Washington after Katrina, Bush did not arrive back at the White House until two days after the storm made its landfall on the Gulf Coast.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency received scathing criticism for its role in coordinating the initial Katrina response.

Bush has since replaced the agency's director, Michael Brown, whom he initially praised, and has said he takes responsibility for any problems in the federal response.

- REUTERS