Katrina formed late in the 2005 Atlantic Hurricane season. It grew into one of the strongest storms on record and destroyed New Orleans. Neither federal nor state agencies predicted the hurricane's ferocity. In the aftermath, the federal government responded slowly to the carnage. Louisiana hampered federal relief efforts and failed to protect or remove their citizens from the hurricane’s path. Additionally, the state failed to request federal aid in a timely manner tying the president’s hands. Although the federal response was slow, the state and local response was mostly responsible for the disaster that occurred after the storm.
Hurricane Katrina reached level five intensity before moderating down to level three when it made landfall. The storm caused severe damage and flooding along the gulf coast. New Orleans was particularly hard hit. The levee system failed submerging 80% of the city underwater. Corrupt bureaucrats and elected officials failed to reinforce the levees to withstand a Katrina-sized storm. However, New Orleans was not alone. Many gulf coast beachfront communities were wiped out by the flooding. Over 1,800 people died in the storm.
Most local governments reacted well before and after the storm. On the other hand, Louisiana‘s Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin refused to react with any alacrity. Mayor Nagin refused to evacuate people. The most poignant image from Hurricane Katrina was the rows of submerged busses which should have been used to evacuate residents. When the president met with the mayor, governor, and other elected officials, they acted hysterical and irrational. The governor appeared vacant. The president approached her to expand the federal role by federalizing the national guard to simplify relief efforts. When confronted by President Bush and Mayor Nagin on September 2, Governor Blanco refused the help, disavowed her responsibility, and passed it on to the mayor. She even blocked the Red Cross from entering New Orleans. Additionally, her administration was slow to remove bodies leaving them for animals to feed on. The governor's incompetence was glaring when compared to Alabama's Bob Riley and Mississippi's Haley Barbour who both expertly managed the crisis.
Nationalizing the guard may have made relief efforts easier and help people sooner. Blanco demurred because federal troops could not enforce Louisiana law. Until Blanco requested help, Bush could do nothing without declaring Louisiana in a state of insurrection. The president questioned the constitutionality of such a declaration. While some argue voters may have forgiven him for declaring an insurrection, administration critics would have howled in protest even as the federal government moved to save lives. The president later wrote that declaring insurrection would "unleash holy hell." Additionally, it is unclear what sort of precedent Bush would have set declaring Louisiana in a state of rebellion.
Critics attacked Bush for the slow federal response. They claim he should have known that the storm would be catastrophic and should have moved quicker. There were also charges of cronyism and ineptitude in the response. Bush admits the response could have been better and took responsibility at the time. There is no arguing that the federal response should have been better. The storm helped decimate Bush’s second term by eradicating the image of the 911 President and replacing it with an image of flooded parishes.
Hurricane Katrina decimated the Gulf Coast and destroyed New Orleans. The slow federal response damaged the Bush Administration. However, the president’s hands were tied by Louisiana. Additionally, more responsible elected officials and bureaucrats would have ensured the levee system‘s viability. They would have also moved quicker to evacuate people. Essentially, had Louisiana’s elected officials behaved in a more responsible way, many more people would be alive today. The federal response was not good, but decades of corruption combined with the state and local response significantly worsened the disaster.
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