I mostly agree with Jeri, but the indications that the various governmental authorities did nothing remotely effective, over a period of decades, to strengthen those levees for a category 5 storm should be the prime focus of inquiry.

The Engineer general in charge of the underfunded and lethargic levee project staied on CNN that the barrier broke at at least one place which had already been brought up to the "new standard," which was to withstand only a category 3 hurricane.

Compared to that statement (and I hope I misheard it!), any discussion about slowness of response is almost moot.