Katrina, Rita, and the Failure of Imagination

Abstract

mericans have had to deal with disaster preparedness for decades, anticipating events such as industrial accidents,power plant meltdowns,natural disasters, and nuclear attacks. Since September 11, 2001, the nation has spent unprecedented resources, created new federal, state, and local agencies, and greatly intensified efforts to prepare for catastrophes. But when Hurricane Katrina hit, we were unable to respond in an organized and comprehensive manner. This does not bode well for how we would be able to respond to significant terrorism attacks or a large-scale industrial accident. We still lack the capacity to imagine what would or could actually happen in a catastrophic scenario. Scientists and engineers had warned for more than a decade that the levees in New Orleans would fail and that the