Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday that he "misspoke" Friday when he said that Hurricane Katrina was "nothing in comparision" to the damage inflicted to residents of New York and New Jersey by superstorm Sandy.

"I simply misspoke," Reid said.  He also said he will continue to "ensure that the people of the Gulf Coast have the resources they need to fully recover" from the 2005 hurricane.

In a statement released Monday, Senator David Vitter said, “Sadly, Harry Reid has again revealed himself to be an idiot, this time gravely insulting Gulf Coast residents.  Both Katrina and Sandy were horribly destructive storms that caused real human misery. And by most any measure, Katrina was our worst natural disaster in history."

Vitter said according to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 caused 1,833 deaths and over $108 billion in damage while Hurricane Sandy caused 131 deaths and $65 billion in damage.

Before Reid issued his statement, Congressman Steve Scalise termed his Friday comment "ignorant and insensitive."

Jefferson Parish President John Young said he was "infuriated" by Reid's comparision of the storms.

"Each life that was lost in Hurricane Katrina and Sandy was someone's family member of friend.  These losses should never be compared to one another or taken advantage of for political gain.  That a Senate Majority Leader would have the audacity to do such a thing saddens me," Young said in a statement released by his office.

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