Governor Jeb Bush says Florida would be better prepared to deal with a storm as powerful as Hurricane Katrina than the Mississippi communities he has visited. But he also says no state could respond without massive federal help. Bush visited hurricane-damaged Mississippi communities yesterday. He visited National Guard troops, firefighters, law enforcement officers and other first responders from Florida. He also met with people planning to relocate to Florida.

"We got to get you in school. We got to get you some shoes and a new shirt. I'm sorry you guys have to come to Ocala but you're going to like it, it's a beautiful place, nice people. What do you do for a living? There's a lot of work in Ocala sir, a lot of work. Cabinet builders - you can work as long as you want. You will have enough work, I mean we have shortages in the trades. You'll get a job immediately. And when you get your first paycheck you'll notice that there's not an income tax."

Bush says Florida officials would have evacuated vulnerable areas on the coastline, mobile homes and low-lying areas significantly earlier than was done on the Gulf Coast. He says Florida hospitals and nursing homes would not have been left without aid, and this state would not create mass shelters without food and water. Bush says he would retain control of a recovery effort rather than handing it over to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.