President Barack Obama visited New Orleans Thursday to meet with people of the city flooded by Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is preparing to mark the 10th anniversary of the storm.

The president praised the effort to rebuild the city. He said it was an example of when “good people come together to lend a hand, and build a better future.” Hurricane Katrina caused more than $135 billion in damage. It was the costliest natural disaster in United States history.

The storm that hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005, left more than 80 percent of the city underwater. Hurricane Katrina killed 1,800 people and displaced 1 million others.