Bush Makes Quick Tour of Flood Damage Before Golf Tournament

President Bush made a helicopter tour of flood-soaked Polk County, Tex., Saturday, squeezing a half-hour look at the catastrophe into his schedule before 18 holes of golf.

Bush, in Houston to participate in a celebrity pro-am charity golf tournament before delivering a commencement speech at the University of Texas in Austin, decided Friday evening to add the quick tour of the flood damage to his itinerary.

His flight followed the Trinity River, which has inundated hundreds of homes on its route past Dallas and south toward Houston. From the helicopter, Bush and his aides could see floodwaters spread out over roadways, fields and homes. About 800 homes in the area have been inundated, local officials said.

Bush’s helicopter landed near Livingston Dam, where the President talked with flood control authorities for about 15 minutes and shook hands with local residents before reboarding the aircraft to fly back to Houston’s Deerwood Country Club.

The dam has played a controversial role in the floods, with flood control officials releasing water to reduce flooding from the overflowing Lake Livingston upstream. The releases have inundated homes located on the downstream flood plain.

Local residents have criticized the releases, but state officials say the fault lies largely with people who have built homes on the flood plain, which is deluged nearly every year during the spring and summer rainy season.

Bush declined to comment on the controversy over the water releases, saying only that the government “wants to be as responsive as possible.”

“Fortunately it isn’t a highly concentrated residential area,” he added.

As waters from the river washed over a roadway and lapped at his shoes, Bush picked up a small dead bass, looked closely at it, then tossed it away and wiped his hands on his slacks.

“We hate to have him here under these circumstances,” said Polk County Judge Wayne Baker. “We’re glad he could take time off from his golf game.”