Iraq war delayed Katrina relief effort

The Independent claims to have seen a Pentagon-commissioned report that states bluntly, "Another major factor in the delayed response to the hurricane [Katrina] aftermath was that the bulk of the Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard was deployed in Iraq."

The report goes on to conclude, "The one thing this disaster has demonstrated [is] the lack of coordinated, in-depth planning and training on all levels of Government, for any/all types of emergency contingencies. 9/11 was an exception because the geographical area was small and contained, but these two hurricanes have clearly demonstrated a national response weakness...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."