The Federal Government, States, and Cities — The All of the Above Disaster Response | Brookings Institution

The Federal Government, States, and Cities — The All of the Above Disaster Response | Brookings Institution: We have hit another political low. As hundreds of families remain displaced from their homes or stranded without power, disaster recovery falls prey to the tired question of who can govern it best. The reality is that rebuilding New York, coastal New Jersey, and all the communities along the unfortunate path of Hurricane Sandy will require the close coordination of federal, state, and local governments, and private sector partners, no matter the political stripes of the leaders involved.

The question is: Has our nation’s response to major disasters improved since Hurricane Katrina, the last time a storm left such a catastrophic mark on the United States?