Former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the state's first female elected governor, has died at age 76.
Former Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, who became the state's first female elected governor only to see her political career derailed by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, has died."Our hearts are broken, but we are joyful in knowing that she is rejoicing in her heavenly reunion with Christ.
Historians will continue to debate whether any governor could have been prepared for such a catastrophe, but Blanco shouldered much of the blame after images of thousands stranded on rooftops and overpasses were broadcast to the world, and the government was slow to respond. Blanco was criticized as unprepared, overwhelmed and indecisive. The recovery she guided moved ploddingly.
"Katrina certainly left its mark and Rita left her mark on Louisiana. It made us tougher people though. It made us stronger," the former governor said in July. "She led Louisiana through one of our darkest hours, when hurricanes and the failure of the federal levee system devastated much of our state," Edwards said in a statement Sunday."I hope history will remember Gov. Blanco as a tireless advocate for Louisiana, who fought fiercely for our state to rebuild."
More than a decade after the storms, views of Blanco are generally more sympathetic. She gets praise for running a corruption-free government and championing education. She helped raise K-12 public school teacher pay and plowed hundreds of millions of dollars into colleges.
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