Poor training levels and the deployment of the National Guard in Iraq are two of the main reasons for the poor offical response to hurricane Katrina, according to a report quoted in a British newspaper today.
The Pentagon-commissioned report by Stephen Henthorne, a former professor and adviser to the Pentagon, says failure to plan and train properly has also affected US efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Independent.
"Failure to plan, and train properly has plagued US efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq and now that failure has come home to roost in the United States," the confidential report said.
The report was commissioned by the Pentagon to provide an "independent and critical review" of what went wrong after Hurricane Katrina swept ashore in September.
"The one thing that this disaster has demonstrated [is] the lack of co-ordinated, in-depth planning and training on all levels of government, for any/all types of emergency contingencies," the report said.
"Another major factor in the delayed response to the hurricane aftermath was that the bulk of the Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard was deployed in Iraq," it said.
The report also blamed corruption and mismanagement by local government in New Orleans for diverting cash earmarked for flood prevention schemes to projects more likely to win votes.
Mr Henthorne was a deputy director in the Louisiana relief efforts, the paper said.