ABSTRACT
Hurricane Katrina broke America’s collective heart. No previous natural disaster in the nation’s history inflicted a grimmer toll. The legendary city of New Orleans all but sank when its levees failed and the resulting storm surge drowned much of the city and many of its feeblest, most vulnerable residents. The flood waters consumed the forlorn hope that the United States could rescue its citizens during their darkest and neediest hour. Although Katrina exposed flaws in virtually every aspect of disaster management at every level of government in the United States, the magnitude and senselessness of the loss indicted American society for its callous disregard of social vulnerability.
