Was FEMA ready for a disaster like Katrina? 
Critics cite shift in priorities following the 9/11 attacks
By Lisa Myers
Senior investigative correspondent
NBC News
Updated: 6:46 p.m. ET Sept. 2, 2005

WASHINGTON - The terrorist attacks of 2001 changed the priorities and focus
of federal emergency planners. Former officials say 9/11 diverted attention
from natural disasters such as Katrina, which had been the  primary focus of
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
A government document obtained by NBC News shows just how radically the
focus shifted to terrorism. It is dated July 2004 and lists 222 upcoming
FEMA and homeland security exercises scheduled to prepare for national
emergencies. Only two involve hurricanes.
"And even in both of those cases, they're dealing with what would happen if
there were a terrorist attack associated with a hurricane event," says NBC
News analyst William Arkin.
What's more, it appears that the federal government did not follow up on an
exercise last year that mostly predicted what happened in New Orleans —
devastating flooding and hundreds of thousands stranded.      
The scenario was dubbed Hurricane Pam: 120 mph winds, a massive storm surge,
20 feet of water in the city, 80 percent of buildings damaged, refugees on
rooftops, possibly gun violence that would slow the rescue.
"What bothers me the most is all the people who've died unnecessarily," says
Ivor Van Heerden, a hurricane researcher from Louisiana State University who
ran the exercise.
Van Heerden says the federal government didn't take it seriously. 
"Those FEMA officials wouldn't listen to me," he says. "Those Corps of
Engineers people giggled in the back of the room when we tried to present
information."
One recommendation from the exercise: Tent cities should be prepared for the
homeless.
"Their response to me was: 'Americans don't live in tents,' and that was
about it," recalls Van Heerden. 
However, others say it's unfair to blame the federal government, that no
amount of planning could have prepared for this.
"We have trained against similar scenarios, but it's not the same as a
crisis unfolding before your eyes," says Frank Cilluffo, a former Bush
administration aide for homeland security.
Homeland security officials also argue that no one predicted that flooding
and devastation would encompass not just New Orleans but the entire Gulf
Coast.