Recently the federal government has come under strong criticism with regard to its slow response in aiding victims that were left in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Many questions are being thrown around ranging from race related questions to whether or not the United States is properly prepared for a state of emergency. Why did it take more than four days to get help into New Orleans and surrounding areas? Are so many National Guard troops spread out in Iraq and Afghanistan that we cannot respond to a domestic emergency for four to five days?

Police were holed-up in stations, fires burned, hospital evacuees were shot at, corpses floated around the city, local businesses were looted, and all the while people were starving and thirsting with little or no supplies left. This went on for four days without any sign of help from federal officials, prompting New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin to lash out at the feds telling them: “Now get off your asses and do something.” President Bush flew over the gulf coast and viewed it from the comfort of Air Force One before any help arrived. Journalists and cameramen made it into the city to film the destruction and chaos before any help arrived. Many New Orleans police officers had evacuated or been killed in the storm’s aftermath which caused Mayor Nagin to call for martial law in the city. Amid sharp criticism regarding the response to Hurricane Katrina, FEMA Director Michael Brown gave his resignation. The death toll in the region is expected to be in the thousands. Now the floodwaters in New Orleans are reportedly contaminated with E.coli bacteria, and things are looking worse everyday.

President Bush and Vice President Cheney have made several recent visits to the region to curb opinions about Washington’s slow response to the disaster. Mayor Nagin told reporters in an interview that he told President Bush that they “had an incredible crisis here and that his flying over in Air Force One does not do it justice.” Vice President Cheney visited Gulfport, Mississippi to view the damage first hand. Cheney received a less than warming response when he was interrupted by a heckler while giving a press briefing, the unidentified man shouted: “Go f— yourself Mr. Cheney!” then repeated himself before leaving the scene. Cheney is obviously familiar with the phrase, having uttered it to Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) on the Senate floor after being called out on his ties to Halliburton Co. and its contracts in Iraq. When asked about the heckler’s comments, Cheney responded, “That’s the first time I’ve heard it.” Regardless, Gulf Coast residents are obviously not happy and are definitely not interested in photo ops with President Bush or any other government official for that matter. Washington is promising an investigation into why it took so long for help to arrive. But is it too late? Is the United States prepared for an emergency at home? So many questions, so few answers.