Why was the federal government response to hurricane Katrina appropriate?

While there will always be  people who believe that the government response to the hurricane Katrina was not adequate. to describe the government response as inappropriate would be perhaps unjustified.

In any major natural disaster like the hurricane Katrina the loss to life and property, as well other hardship and misery caused to the people is so great that whatever is done to limit the loss or to provide relief subsequently appears to be inadequate.

However a fair assessment of the adequacy of federal government should be based on what was reasonably possible in that situation rather than just on the basis of what was desirable. Such an assessment will definitely point out some areas where the performance was inadequate, however in other ares the performance may be considered excellent.