Hurricane Katrina 20 years later: 3 key emergency management lessons

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By Eric Kevin Stern, University at Albany, State University of New York

NEW ORLEANS — Hurricane Katrina looms large in the history of American emergency management , both for what went wrong as the disaster unfolded and for the policy changes it triggered.

As the nation looks back on the disaster 20 years later, I believe as a crisis and emergency management specialist that it is more important than ever to remember Katrina’s lessons to avoid repeating past mistakes.

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When Katrina hit New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005, its storm surge broke through levees protecting the city. Water quic