21 years after Hurricane Katrina, FEMA is still failing

Filed by Deacon Rift

Twenty-one years after Hurricane Katrina exposed catastrophic failures in federal disaster response, the nation's preparedness apparatus remains under strain. The Hill's opinion piece argues that FEMA is still falling short, noting that the lessons of the post-Katrina era have not translated into durable resilience. While the agency has made procedural improvements since 2005—better coordination, clearer command structures—critics contend that chronic underfunding, more frequent disasters, and political gridlock have left FEMA in a precarious position. Defenders of the agency counter that it is being asked to do more than ever before, from pandemic response to climate-driven megastorms, with resources that have not kept pace. The article uses the anniversary as a moment to assess whether America's disaster infrastructure is equipped for the challenges ahead.