President George W. Bush's plane swooped low over three states today, giving him a view of the destruction left by Hurricane Katrina as he returned to Washington to oversee the US government's response.
Air Force One descended to less than 3,000 feet over Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to allow Mr Bush to see some of the worst damage.
"It's totally wiped out," Mr Bush remarked as the modified Boeing 747 moved east past Slidell, a Louisiana community reduced to a pile of rubble and sticks. "It's devastating, it's got to be doubly devastating on the ground."
Mr Bush, who cut short a vacation in Texas and may visit the stricken region later this week, saw a causeway in pieces, boats stranded on highways, and mile after mile of houses surrounded by water all the way up to the roofs.
President George W. Bush
"There wasn't a whole lot of conversation," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "It's very sobering to see from the air ... I think at some point you are just kind of shaking your head in disbelief."
Following a video conference with senior government officials, Mr Bush left his ranch in Crawford, Texas, and was flying back to the White House to monitor the massive recovery effort after Katrina cut her swathe of death and destruction.
When the president arrives, he will lead a meeting with representatives of 14 federal agencies involved in the recovery and cleanup, including the Departments of Energy, Interior and Health and Human Services.
The Pentagon today added warships, including two helicopter assault vessels and the hospital ship Comfort, along with elite search units to the relief effort. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said the administration would release supplies from the federal petroleum reserves to help refiners affected by the hurricane.
Although aides have long said that Mr Bush can run the White House from his 1,600-acre ranch where he has full secure communications capabilities, the president decided it was better to return to Washington, according to Mr McClellan.
"There are people who are suffering, who are in need," he said. "The issue was the president felt it was best to get back to Washington to oversee the response efforts from there."
Mr Bush had been scheduled to end his month-long vacation tomorrow.