There has been sharp criticism of the president and FEMA and their failure to quickly respond to the disaster. Frnankly government failed at all levels federal, state and local. The Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana should have been better prepared for a scenario like this because they are much closer to the situation. They should have planned for contingencies that they didnt and should have asked for assistance quicker. The federal government should have acted quicker since a federal state of emergency for all three effected states was declared prior to Katrina making landfall. Im not sure if I buy the argument that this was a race/class issue at this point which has been talked about in the media. There was an evacuation order by the mayor prior to the hurricane and the mayor should have made buses available to bus those who did not have resources to leave the city on their own. There are people who still refuse to leave the city. I also want to address the issue of federal funding. Some have accused the current administration for not providing funding for the levee system. Just because you ask for funding never guarantees you get it. Many agencies always ask for money. Money was also requested for the levee in past administrations and was not fullfilled.
The focus should be on the rescue and recovery and there are people who still need our help. There will be plenty of time later to debate the issue that have been brought about by this situation.
The part that all of us need to be concerned about is the federal governments ability to gather information and then act on it with regards to terrorism. If there was a multi-city attack with possibly a biological or chemical weapon that could kill hundreds of thousands of people the federal government should have an appropriate plan in place coordinated with state and local officials.
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