And if citizens of New Orleans who are really contemplating coming back heard that we're really intent upon making the place secure again - regardless of whether the levees held or not - then I think a rebuilding process would really take shape.

Venice, Italy, survives 365 days out of every year in water; New Orleans can survive a few days of water if it has to.

The question is what I wanted to do with the new life God has given me. This is the mission I want to take on.

The immediate, highest priority need, in my humble opinion, is that we build quickly the interim structures that can channel water away from population and businesses in the New Orleans area.

You probably have to have redundant levee systems with canals in between them, like the Dutch have, to make sure that incoming water is channeled off to areas where you deal with it rather than have it drown you.

Some 70 percent of Americans donated to Katrina victims.

I think the industry finally gets it. They've lost the connection with the American public, and they've got to rebuild the trust with the American public.