Massachusetts ? President Barack Obama marked the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Saturday by pledging to make sure that turf wars and red tape don’t slow the pace of the continuing recovery.

He also said he would visit New Orleans by year’s end.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, the president noted that the Bush administration’s response to the killer storm raised questions among people in the U.S. about whether the government “could fulfill its responsibility to respond in a crisis.”

He said he wanted to ensure “that the legacy of a terrible storm is a country that is safer and more prepared for the challenges that may come.”

Since taking office, Obama has sent 11 members of the Cabinet to the region to inspect progress and to hear local ideas on how to speed up repairs.

Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, killing more than 1,600 people in Louisiana and Mississippi and leaving behind more than $40 billion in property damage.