The Federal government cannot and should not be the Nation's first responder. State and local governments are best positioned to address incidents in their jurisdictions and will always play a large role in disaster response. But Americans have the right to expect that the Federal government will effectively respond to a catastrophic incident. When local and State governments are overwhelmed or incapacitated by an event that has reached catastrophic proportions, only the Federal government has the resources and capabilities to respond. The Federal government must therefore plan, train, and equip to meet the requirements for responding to a catastrophic event. Requried:
a. According to the report, why did federal efforts conflict with state efforts to respond to Hurricane Katrina?
b. Based on the summary in the report, describe the relationship between the federal and state governments in responding to a disaster.