Twenty years ago, Americans watched in shock as Hurricane Katrina battered New Orleans, as well as other parts of the Gulf Coast. The situation only deteriorated as state and local government officials failed to respond effectively while President George W. Bush and the federal government languished. Hurricane Katrina became one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history, killing an estimated 1,400 people and leaving behind more than $200 billion in damage.

In 2025, the U.S. government is still not adequately prepared to tackle the structural and policy issues necessary to prevent another Katrina. Most recently, a group of FEMA workers sent a letter to Congress warning that as a result of budget cuts, firings, inexperienced leaders, and politically motivated appointments, the agency was not prepared for major natural disasters: “Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration.” Despite how damaging the government failure in 2005 was to President George W. Bush’s legacy, the Trump administration has taken a number of steps backward, ignoring the tragic lessons from Katrina and creating conditions that leave cities such as New Orleans even more vulnerable than before.

Twenty years ago, Americans watched in shock as Hurricane Katrina battered New Orleans, as well as other parts of the Gulf Coast. The situation only deteriorated as state and local government officials failed to respond effectively while President George W. Bush and the federal government languished. Hurricane Katrina became one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history, killing an estimated 1,400 people and leaving behind more than $200 billion in damage.

In 2025, the U.S. government is still not adequately prepared to tackle the structural and policy issues necessary to prevent another Katrina. Most recently, a group of FEMA workers sent a letter to Congress warning that as a result of budget cuts, firings, inexperienced leaders, and politically motivated appointments, the agency was not prepared for major natural disasters: “Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration.” Despite how damaging the government failure in 2005 was to President George W. Bush’s legacy, the Trump administration has taken a number of steps backward, ignoring the tragic lessons from Katrina and creating conditions that leave cities such as New Orleans even more vulnerable than before.

On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina ripped through southeastern Louisiana with 125 mph winds. The Category 5 storm, which was a Category 3 storm by landfall, resulted in massive destruction. New Orleans suffered the worst impact. When the levees failed to hold back the floodwaters, huge swaths of the city were deep underwater, along with residents and their property.

In the days leading up to the crisis, the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Hurricane Center had received warnings about what was going to happen. Officials had shared the information with the White House. Among the messages that they sent were concerns about the levee system that had been designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Although Michael Brown, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told the press that “we were all taken aback by the fact that the levees did break in so many places and caused such widespread devastation,” investigations revealed a very different picture. On Aug. 27, for example, FEMA reported that a Category 4 storm could “overtop levees.” The Department of Homeland Security reported that flooding could “leave the New Orleans metro area submerged for weeks or months.”

As water rushed........

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