The core failure of the Katrina response was the complete collapse of communication infrastructure. The New Orleans Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was flooded and lost power, severing the city's ability to request aid from state and federal partners.
The US disaster relief system is designed for local governments to 'pull' resources from federal agencies like FEMA. With no communication from New Orleans, FEMA and other agencies were left waiting for requests that never came, turning the supply chain into a chaotic 'game of telephone' with incorrect or undelivered goods.
Both pre-storm and post-storm evacuations were deeply flawed. The initial mandatory evacuation order came too late for many, while post-storm efforts to evacuate the deteriorating Superdome were delayed for days due to bureaucratic inertia and a failure to secure transportation in advance.
The response was hampered by a lack of unified command and coordination between local, state, and federal agencies. Disagreements over the use of the Superdome, the Red Cross's refusal to staff it, and FEMA's delay in tasking the Department of Transportation for buses all point to systemic friction and unclear lines of authority.
The evacuation of the Superdome and other rescue efforts were intermittently halted due to overblown and faulty media reports of violence and sniper fire. In the absence of reliable communication, leaders assumed these rumors were true, slowing the response and potentially increasing suffering.
Keep pulling the thread on Hurricane Katrina.