NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) -- Ray Nagin narrowly won a second term as mayor of New Orleans on Saturday with support from both black and white voters and immediately began mending fences with the federal and state governments to hasten the devastated city's recovery.

The outspoken Nagin, who became New Orleans' face to the world when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the historic city last year, took 52 percent of the vote in the runoff election to defeat Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu.

The victory for the former cable television executive defied predictions of many political analysts and proved he appealed not just to fellow African Americans but could also attract cross-over support from the white community.

Much now rides on Nagin's ability to move past old squabbles with officials in Washington and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco as he moves ahead with his strategy for rebuilding and repopulating the city, 80 percent of which was damaged in Katrina's floods. "We are ready to take off," he told supporters. "We have citizens around the country who want to come back the city of New Orleans and we're going to get them all back to the city of New Orleans."

Nine months after Katrina, New Orleans is struggling with myriad storm-related problems, including a severe housing shortage, mounds of debris and junked cars along boulevards, and a rising violent-crime rate.

Nagin's sweeping recovery plan is dependent on billions of dollars in federal aid, and in his victory speech, Nagin praised U.S. President George W. Bush -- who like Nagin came under fire for a feeble initial response to the hurricane -- for pushing for the money.

"You and I have probably been the most vilified politicians in the country. But I want to thank you for moving that promise that you made in Jackson Square forward," Nagin said. ----------Thankful for help

About two weeks after Katrina, which killed more than 1,500 people in Louisiana alone, Bush spoke in the French Quarter park, promising to do whatever it took to rebuild. Nagin thanked Bush for billions of federal dollars for stronger levees, business incentives and housing.

He also reached out to Blanco and thanked her for the help she was "getting ready" to provide.

Landrieu aimed to be the city's first white mayor since his father, Moon Landrieu, left office in 1978. He had said Nagin's stand-offish style slowed the recovery and had run on a platform of working better with other levels of government.

But in his concession speech Landrieu promised to support the recovery efforts of Nagin's administration.

With the 2006 hurricane season less than two weeks away, the state of the levees is uncertain, many neighborhoods are uninhabitable and more than half the pre-storm population of 470,000 remains scattered across the country.

Voting was complex as dozens of precincts were merged and hundreds of residents displaced in Texas, Georgia and elsewhere arrived in buses or drove back to the city to vote.

Evacuees were disappointed that the candidates have offered few specifics about when they can safely return to rebuild after nine months, Thomas Wells, who helped organize 250 voters from Houston for the Industrial Areas Foundation's Katrina Survivors Network, said at a boisterous rally at city hall.

But at a boisterous rally at city hall, Nagin promised to work with the evacuees to address the housing crisis and involve them in the recovery.

Analysts had said the city's changed racial makeup since Katrina could give the edge to Landrieu. The storm displaced as much as half the black community.

But it was Nagin who succeeded in attracting more of the all-important cross-over vote. (Nagin)