Hurricane Katrina and FEMA

FEMA's primary purpose is to coordinate the response to a disaster that overwhelms local and state authorities. FEMA Deputy Director Michael Brown had no relevant experience doing this job when he was appointed in March 2002. The next day, August 28, 2005, less than 24 hours before Hurricane Katrina projected to make landfall, Mayor Ray Nagan ordered mandatory evacuation of New Orleans. President Bush offered some additional words of assurance to the affected states before resuming his 27-day vacation.