To me, the most extraordinary example of poor preparedness took place in the last week of September 2005. The South had just begun the long recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and was bracing for the anticipated onslaught of Hurricane Rita. After Katrina, local, state, and federal governments had been widely criticized regarding their disaster management and were fearful of more missteps. Repercussions were widespread: gas and oil prices around the country surged because of current compromises of fuel supplies from the hard-hit Gulf of Mexico, and fears for the future
