After the hurricane and killer floods, New Orleans was victimized by another disaster - the disaster response itself.
Every level of government that was supposed to prepare for the storm and its aftermath failed miserably. All were unwilling to make the expensive commitments to shore up vulnerable levees or replenish vanishing wetlands that left New Orleans so open to flooding. There was no logical plan to evacuate the city, particularly those too sick, poor or stubborn to leave.
When it became clear that tens of thousands were marooned, the federal government was unprepared to rush life-saving supplies to the city's Superdome and convention center, to rescue the stranded and sick, or keep order in the streets.
Images that brought to mind catastrophes in Third World nations shot around the world - making the inept response of the Federal Emergency Management Agency not only a human tragedy but also an international embarrassment for the USA.
That bungled response should serve as an alert to the rest of the nation. After spending four years and tens of billions of dollars since 9/11 . . ., FEMA's parent, the Homeland Security Department, failed its first major test.
The performance raises many questions, among them:
If national authorities could not adequately respond to an anticipated threat from a hurricane, how can they possibly be ready to deal with a surprise nuclear or biological attack by terrorists?
Has FEMA's leadership been politicized, and is it up to the task? . . . In the first days of the crisis, FEMA's decision-making appeared tentative and confused, with fatal consequences.
Has putting FEMA in the new Homeland Security Department undermined its ability to respond to natural disasters?
Disaster experts will tell you that responding to any catastrophe requires the same elements - evacuation, rescue, emergency supplies and security.
After 9/11, the nation should not have needed a second wake-up call. Having gotten one, it's time to dissect this failure, establish accountability and ensure that it won't happen again.
Reprint from USA Today