(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
By Eric Kevin Stern, University at Albany, State University of New York
NEW ORLEANS 鈥� Hurricane Katrina looms large in the , both for what went wrong as the disaster unfolded and for the policy changes it triggered.
As the nation looks back on the disaster 20 years later, I believe as a crisis and that it is more important than ever to remember Katrina鈥檚 lessons to avoid repeating past mistakes.
| MORE: Training day: Disaster response, transporting patients from the scene
When Katrina hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005, its storm surge protecting the city. Water quickly , flooding and inundating an estimated 80% of the city. People who could not evacuate before the storm and were lucky enough to escape to their roofs for days in some cases.
Once the water had receded and the death toll counted, it became clear that as a result of this devastating storm. The hurricane did , equivalent to about US$170 billion today when adjusted for inflation.
While there were many unsung heroes during Katrina, the tragic missteps and missed opportunities at all levels of government emergency management are what no emergency manager ever wants to repeat. The response failed in many areas, from among federal, state and local agencies to the reported as 16,000 evacuees faced failed generators, poor security, dwindling supplies and overflowing toilets.
Three lessons from Katrina stand out today as the Trump administration the Federal Emergency Management Agency and putting more responsibility for disaster management on local and state agencies.
1. Emergency response is only as strong as the weakest links
FEMA took the brunt of the criticism after Hurricane Katrina. However, serious recognize that good disaster response requires effective governance at all levels.
Before FEMA could spend significant money to deploy people and aid, the state of Louisiana had to request a presidential disaster declaration. However, tensions between the reportedly delayed President George W. Bush鈥檚 approval, according to a . The committee also found that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin鈥檚 decision to first issue a voluntary evacuation and not issue a mandatory order until a day before the storm cost precious time.
Once the storm hit, .
Vehicles badly needed for the disaster response were damaged by the storm. and a breakdown in situation reporting from local law enforcement and rescue services left state and federal government decision-makers flying blind, without up-to-date reports of conditions on the ground. Media 鈥� in New Orleans of public disorder and threats to responders. That further of federal military and National Guard assistance 鈥� and hindered some local efforts 鈥� because it required additional precautions for coping with a hostile security environment.
As challenging as the information environment was during Hurricane Katrina, it is more difficult now. Social media, hyper-partisanship and deliberate misinformation attempts .
If the federal government now proposes to push more responsibility for disaster relief to the state and local levels, emergency managers at those levels will be taking on highly complex disasters in a potentially toxic information environment with less support.
States, counties and cities vary greatly in their readiness to shoulder this responsibility.
2. Leave no one behind
An enduring image of Hurricane Katrina was the plight of residents who lacked transportation and took shelter at the New Orleans Superdome, where conditions .
Another was the harrowing tales of gravely ill patients and exhausted medical staff without power as temperatures rose and the lower floors flooded.
These extreme predicaments and the deaths of people trapped in flooding homes in the Lower Ninth Ward were powerful reminders of the vulnerability of many low-income, elderly and ill residents who were unable to get out ahead of the disaster.
A few years after Katrina, Obama administration FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and his team placed a new focus on forging a 鈥�鈥� emergency management strategy. It is designed to include marginalized populations in emergency planning and ensure that those who aren鈥檛 able to evacuate due to are not forgotten during disasters.
Government guidance now states that emergency be in buildings that people who have trouble walking can navigate easily. Emergency information is typically distributed in multiple languages, accessible for people with impaired hearing or vision, and written in ways adapted to the .
However, many of these advances are in jeopardy today as the Trump administration that might be considered DEI 鈥� diversity, equity and inclusion. The misery and death caused by Hurricane Katrina should serve as vivid reminders of why many existing emergency management programs emphasize the needs of socially vulnerable populations.
3. Professional emergency management is essential
The face of the federal government鈥檚 shortcomings in responding to Hurricane Katrina was then-FEMA Administrator Michael Brown. Initially, he was publicly praised by President Bush, who declared: 鈥�!鈥�
But Brown was . His prior on-the-job experience in the role in this extreme situation. As the problems with the response to Katrina became increasingly evident, Brown proved unable to provide effective leadership in the crisis and was .
Part of the legislative legacy of Katrina is the . It requires that FEMA chief administrators have extensive knowledge of emergency management and substantial relevant executive leadership experience. All of the of FEMA state or had been in management .
However, those requirements do not always apply to acting administrators. In his second term, President Donald Trump has had two acting FEMA administrators 鈥� and . Both managing major disasters on a statewide or comparable basis. Hamilton was after suggesting to Congress that FEMA should not be eliminated. Richardson鈥檚 leadership was quickly tested during the on July 4, 2025, that killed more than 135 people.
The shortcomings of the response to Hurricane Katrina also led to wider adoption of the , which helps all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector work together in an emergency.
If more responsibility for emergency management devolves to states in the future, they will need to cultivate the ability to coordinate and collaborate effectively to respond to disasters.
Looking ahead
Leaders and organizations such as FEMA have such as Hurricane Katrina.
However, political priorities come and go, staff turns over, and generations pass the torch to their successors. critical lessons from the past.
As efforts to reform 鈥� and possibly rebalance 鈥� the U.S. emergency management system continue during the Trump administration, it is essential to remember and heed the costly lessons of Hurricane Katrina.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: .
