Bush pauses to remember victims of hurricane Katrina

US President George Bush bowed his head in prayer today to remember the hundreds who perished in Hurricane Katrina, a disaster that forever changed the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico - and his presidency.

Bush and his wife, Laura, lit candles of remembrance, then slide into the front pew of the triple-spired St Louis Cathedral, which was left virtually untouched by the fierce winds and high waters that hit the city on August 29, 2005.