US president George Bush has declared September 16th a day of national prayer and remembrance for Hurricane Katrina victims.
US president George Bush
He also announced steps that he promised would "cut through the red tape" to hasten aid to those most in need.
Every affected household would be given $2,000 dollars to help with immediate relief, Mr Bush said.
All those living in declared disaster zones will get "evacuee status", making it easy to collect state benefits anywhere in the country.
"We have many difficult days ahead, especially as we recover those who did not survive the storm," Mr Bush said. "I have asked all agencies to honour their memory by treating them with the respect they deserve."
Congress has approved the president's request for additional hurricane relief, raising Katrina's aid cost to $62.3 billion - a record for domestic disaster relief.
Mr Bush has come in for widespread criticism for his government's slow response to the disaster.