How Hurricane Katrina made the feds more powerful

The federal government’s botched response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 permanently damaged the reputation of the then President George W. Bush, and led to a massive shift in how the government responds to similar large disasters. Donald F. Kettl writes that in the decade since the storm hit New Orleans, the federal government’s involvement in disaster relief has grown both in terms of money and oversight — and so have tensions with localities.