But don't overdue it, he says, as evacuating long distances can be costly and unsafe.

CNN: Hurricanes -- slow, methodical, deadly

There is waste and inefficiency there that is long overdue, and we identify a number of these programs that just don't work.

WHITEHOUSE: Presidential Press Conference on the 2012 Budget

He vowed on Tuesday to "bring a long-overdue sense of responsibility and accountability to Washington" and warned that members of Congress won't be allowed to slip earmarks into the economic recovery package.

CNN: Obama calls for 'dramatic action'

Ministers agreed that energy conservation was well overdue, but said that the subject had been ignored by the previous government so there wasn't even an energy-saving team in place in the department.

BBC: Energy Bill: Big polluters may be exempted