[Professor S]

Well there are a lot of schools of thought to these arguments.

FEMA was never designed to act like a Ambulance or Police force. What I mean is that they have always come in afterwards, handed out money and helped plan reconstruction. Now knowing this FEMA didn't drop the ball, necessarily, but they needed to pick it up when they saw that this was beyond the norm for US emergencies. I think FEMA 1) Needs to be on its own, and not under Homeland Security and 2) Have emergency plans of action esigned for every major metropolitan area. Don't let these areas tell you that they are fine and prepared. Thats what New Orleans and the surrounding areas did and now look what its gotten then into.

Now, the last part of FEMA's plan:

Evacuate and level New Orleans, blow the levees and distribute shorefront properties to the remaining relocated residents.