Bush: Gulf Coast ‘Hit Hard’ by Katrina, No Word on SPR

President George W. Bush said the nation’s Gulf Coast is “getting hit and hit hard” by Hurricane Katrina, but didn’t confirm that the government will lend refiners crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

In remarks Monday at the Pueblo El Mirage RV Resort and Country Club in El Mirage, Arizona, the president urged citizens to follow the guidance of their local authorities and said the government would provide assistance when the storm passes. He didn’t provide specifics.

Schlumberger