White House Report: Sluggish Federal Response to Katrina
The White House report is less critical than an earlier congressional report, but the 228-page document does call for the government to make specific changes for the upcoming hurricane season.
The report, released Feb. 23, concluded that inexperienced managers and a lack of planning, discipline and leadership contributed to vast federal failures during the hurricane. It stops short of assessing blame, as the recent congressional report did. The White House also included a 20-page section called, "What Went Right."
U.S. House Report: 'A Failure of Initiative'
In a scathing 520-page report released Feb. 15, House investigators listed hundreds of mistakes and misjudgments in the government's response to Hurricane Katrina. The report, called "A Failure of Initiative," follows a five-month inquiry, and places blame at all levels of government. Several Democrats who participated in the inquiry have concurred with the main results.
Investigators say lapses at all levels of government cost lives and prolonged suffering. And, they say, Americans are justifiably concerned about the government's ability to protect the nation four years after the Sept. 11 attacks. Lawmakers found widespread communications breakdowns and confusion over who was in charge.
GAO Report: Fragmented Government Slowed Katrina Response
Federal officials failed to act quickly or decisively enough in response to Hurricane Katrina, according to the Government Accountability Office's report. The failure to designate a single official to lead the overall federal response made matters worse, said the report, released Feb. 1.
The GAO also said many of the problems that arose were similar to those the agency identified more than a decade ago, after Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida.
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