Bush vows not to repeat Katrina mistakes

The embattled leader, facing the worst poll numbers of his presidency, was to travel to his adoptive home state of Texas on Friday to get a first-hand look at last-minute efforts to prepare for Rita's onslaught.

"Officials at every level of government are preparing for the worst," Bush said after a briefing at the Pentagon, surrounded by his national security team.

The president drew widespread criticism for Washington's response after Katrina struck the US Gulf Coast on August 29 and left a trail of devastation across an area roughly the size of Britain.

Many critics said his administration reacted too slowly and with too little to one of the worst natural disasters in US history, even as Americans saw television images of their compatriots pleading for food and water.

Some said Bush, who cut two days from his month-long Texas vacation in response to Katrina, should have returned to Washington earlier and been quicker to call on the US military for help.