Washington  - Barack Obama made his first visit as US president to New Orleans on Thursday, more than four years after Hurricane Katrina wreaked devastation on the community.

Obama blamed a "breakdown of government" for the slow response to the massive 2005 storm, which killed more than 1,500 people as floods swept through New Orleans, the state of Louisiana and wider Gulf Coast region.

The city's painstaking revival over the last few years should "remind America what it means to persevere in the face of tragedy," Obama told students in a stop at the University of New Orleans.

"We are committed to making sure that a disaster like Katrina does not happen again," Obama said, touting his administration's efforts to boost the reconstruction process and rebuild levies that were breached during the category three hurricane.

Former president George W Bush's administration was heavily criticized - along with local and state authorities - for its handling of the aftermath of Katrina.  dpa