FEMA came under attack from state officials in Louisiana and politicians in Washington for what some critics described as a failure to prepare an adequate response plan for New Orleans in the event of a major disaster. Local officials said no plan existed for a breakdown of the levee system protecting the low-lying city. Others questioned the failure to plan for a full evacuation and a lack of protection for key assets, including hospitals. FEMA, the federal agency responsible for coordinating medical response teams, rescuers and law enforcement assets, was placed under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security in 2002.
- see this story from The New York Times
PLUS: Experts at the Harvard School of Public Health said the calamity has created conditions ripe for diseases not seen in the US for generations, including typhus, cholera and malaria. Story