Lately it seems that any mention of Hurricane Katrina includes assigning blame. The concept of a natural disaster exceeding mankind’s ability to contain it appears to be so foreign an idea that it falls outside most television and radio commentators sphere of understanding.

With that said, it’s time that people should look at the "blame game" rationally and analytically, rather than emotionally. Therefore, analysis should be differentiated into two areas: the disaster and the response to the disaster.

The Disaster

A tropical storm developed over the Bahamas, and hit Florida as a Category 1 storm. The storm then headed into the Gulf of Mexico. All of this occurred in a matter of a couple days. Unlike tropical depressions that are usually tracked in the mid-Atlantic, this storm burst out near the Bahamas with little advance notice. The storm then became an enormous upon reaching in the Gulf of Mexico. When this occurred, time for preparation was a few days.

While some members of congress began to spout forth blame at President Bush for Global Warming and, subsequently, try further place the blame on him for the storm itself, it must be remembered that hurricanes form annually and have been doing so for ages. Hurricane Betsy formed in 1965, while Hurricane Camille formed in 1969 (and both were devastating). Years of scientific analysis over centuries indicates that while there has been a spate of nasty storms recently, the overall frequency and severity over time is still average.

There is a lot of accusations regarding the failure of the levees, with many grumbling about the fact that the levees were built to withstand only a Category 3 hurricane. What many fail to realize is that the levees withstood a Category 4 hurricane, and that the levees collapsed on Tuesday, well after the storm had passed. (It should be remembered that the difference between a Category 1 hurricane and a Category 4 hurricane is the wind speed and not the amount of rain or water.) There have been several large hurricanes seen in recent years that have been a Category 2 in the strength of the wind, however they released massive amounts of water. Katrina was a gigantic, slow moving storm as well as a massive rainmaker. Ergo, it wasn’t the wind of the hurricane that destroyed the levees, it was the weight of the water added into Lake Ponchitrain.

The 17th Street levee had been recently renovated. This levee was also the focus of the bulk of flood control spending and it was considered the least likely to fail. This shoots down the theory that the disaster could have been prevented by government spending.

So, ultimately, trying to pin the blame on the President or the Federal Government for the disaster is akin to blaming the Pompeii’s destruction by Mount Vesuvius on Caesar.

The Federal Response

Units of the Louisiana National Guard were mobilized Sunday, well before the storm struck. These units assembled in staging areas outside the anticipated storm path. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was standing by as well. In the meantime, the President had to put pressure Governor Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Nagin to order mandatory evacuations.

These units began moving in after the storm had passed, arriving into the city on Friday. The levees collapsed on Tuesday. This isn’t too bad, when you consider the obstruction from Governor Blanco. Ships from the U.S. Navy arrived from Norfolk, VA on Thursday

By Wednesday (the day after the collapse of the levees), the U.S. Coast Guard helicopters had picked thousands off roofs of their homes.

The State response

Governor Blanco was the controlling authority for all National Guard and federal assets. Unfortunately, she seemed to have no idea what to do with them. However, neither would she relinquish her authority over to the federal government. Governor Blanco prevented the Red Cross from stocking the Superdome with food, water and medicine, because she didn't anyone "getting too comfortable" there. President Bush had to invoke the Insurrection Act to allow federal troops to advance into Louisiana over Posse Comitatus barriers before the governor would cooperate.

The Local response

In New Orleans, Mayor Nagin gave the evacuation orders only after being pressured to do so from the President. The Mayor issued orders for citizens to leave the city. However, there was no evacuation plan for doing so. The Mayor failed to make provide for the refuge of last resort, which was the Superdome, to be stocked with food, water and medical supplies, even though he had 2 days in which to do so.

Of course, everyone has seen photos of the submerged school buses. Many who saw these photos questioned why these buses weren’t pressed into service to remove people to safety. It was estimated that there were 250 buses in New Orleans. Each bus can hold about 60 people. This would mean that the buses, had they been used in evacuating the thousands not having a means of transportation, could have moved close to 15,000 people could have been carted to safety each trip.

Neither Mayor Nagin nor the Governor Blanco declined to invoke a “shoot on sight order” for looters. Even when New Orleans police officers were found to be participating in the looting, there was resistance to giving the federal government the authority to restore order. Local officials failed to exercise enough command and control to enable law enforcement personnel to quell the chaos. Finally, the President gave the Governor an ultimatum to allow federal authority over the situation. Only then did some semblance of order return.

In summary, the response to the disaster was, indeed, deplorable. However, it was the response (or lack thereof) of local and state government for that disgrace.

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