Obama praises rescuers in storm-hit Louisiana

President Barack Obama praised rescuers and volunteers helping clean up after Hurricane Isaac on Monday and offered federal help to beef up flood protection in the stricken area. Obama viewed storm damage in St. John the Baptist Parish, west of New Orleans, which suffered extensive flooding after Isaac struck the northern Gulf Coast last week. Thousands of residents were driven from their homes when the storm drove water over the banks of Lake Pontchartrain, but there were no fatalities in the parish. "I want to commend everybody who’s here for the excellent work they’ve done in making sure that lives were saved -- that although there was tremendous property damage, that people were in a position to get out quickly," Obama told reporters after viewing the damage Monday afternoon.