In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the media has run stories filled with images of looting, violence and tragedy in New Orleans. Although such sensational images are dynamic and may make “good television,” they hardly tell the whole story of what’s going on in New Orleans.

The truth is, the government failed the residents of that city, and the people responsible need to be held accountable by voters.

Some will say now is not the time for a discussion about or the assessment of blame. But if we are to respond more efficiently to the next natural disaster, we must look at what went wrong this time so we can mitigate the aftermath of the next tragedy.

First and foremost, the American people have once again proved themselves to be generous and capable in a time of tragedy.

There are hopeful stories coming out of New Orleans – Southern Baptists have organized a massive aid operation, helping to feed the city’s refugees. People across the country have offered charity and help; some have even offered to take refugees into their homes.

The government’s response, however, has bordered on incompetence.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for administering aid, has reportedly botched the coordination of relief efforts.

Monday the Financial Times reported Wal-Mart and FedEx offered their trucks to evacuate the city’s inhabitants but were turned down by FEMA. Grocery chain Albertson’s offer to deliver food and medicine was also turned down.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported FEMA also refused help from the American Red Cross, which was trying to deliver food to the city, as well as firefighters from Houston and doctors from California. The reasons why have been slow to emerge, but the picture they paint isn’t pretty.

New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin said Saturday: “We’re still fighting over authority. A bunch of people are the boss. The state and federal government are doing a two-step dance.”

The New York Times also reported a spokesman for Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) alleged FEMA was bogged down in bureaucratic decision-making.

Last week, President Bush explained the goof-up by saying, “I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.”

This is an important statement, because it reveals the president either is clueless, or thinks the American public is.

In 2001, FEMA predicted that a hurricane devastating New Orleans was one of the three most likely natural disasters to happen in the U.S.

On Aug. 29, The Associated Press reported “experts have warned for years that the levees and pumps that usually keep New Orleans dry have no chance against a direct hit by a Category 5 storm.”

So on its face, the president’s statement is a lie.

New Orleans and the state of Louisiana repeatedly requested funding to shore up New Orleans’ levees and pumps; some of those requests were never met, and others were only minimally funded.

It turns out FEMA’s money was cherry-picked by the Bush administration to form the Department of Homeland Security, of which FEMA is now a part. Other money was diverted from FEMA in order to fund the war in Iraq.

FEMA, by the way, is headed by Michael D. Brown whose main qualification for the job is he was the college roomie of President Bush’s old campaign manager.

It shouldn’t take a tragedy that may cost tens of thousands of lives to point out that putting cronies in charge and adding an extra layer of bureaucracy is no way to prepare for the worst.

We need to retool FEMA to make it more responsive to the needs of victims of natural disasters, starting with the resignation of Michael D. Brown.

The president needs to take responsibility for his mistakes and ensure that Katrina’s victims have all the tools they need to rebuild their city and their lives.