In a crisis vaguely reminiscent of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, countless Americans perished helplessly on American soil when a colossal storm, now known as Hurricane Katrina, collided with our mainland.

Despite warnings broadcast by meteorologists and journalists days prior to landfall, our government failed to save a vast number number of Americans -- Americans who didn't deserve to die.

Though a catastrophe of this magnitude is not likely to happen more than once or twice in a person's lifetime, the U.S. government as a whole appears to have failed at what is essentially their responsibility.

It seems as though the duties of the U.S. government, the most important of which should be to do what it can to protect its citizens and their interests within reason, included a "wait and see" approach after Katrina hit.

In the years after Sept. 11, merging the Federal Emergency Management Agency with the Department of Homeland Security and slashing its funding by about 80 percent was considerably shortsighted. Though hindsight, they say, is 20/20.

But isn't it the job of our government to prepare for national crises, to prepare for the worst, whenever possible, even to prevent it?

Shouldn't the government be ready and willing to provide help to those who need it, whether they happen to live in an economically depressed area like Mississippi, or in a culturally enriched area like New Orleans?

No stale words of comfort offered by President Bush or any other official can possibly resurrect an area ravaged by devastation.

There was no food, water or medicine for the thousands who desperately needed it. For days, American citizens awaited anyone who could restore hope.

Many died waiting.

This tragedy should call into question our nation's comfort zone regarding economic class, and let's face it, race.

If a disaster of this magnitude had occurred in a more affluent area, what would have happened? People would be outraged, and have the political clout to demonstrate the true ferocity of their feelings, unlike those who live in one of poorest states in the country.

While the federal government's response was lackluster, the response of the local and state governments in the affected areas also leaves a lot to be desired. If U.S. citizens can't depend on their government in times of need, then what good is it?

But what's done is done. And once again, all we can do is sit back and learn from our mistakes.

But perhaps that's the American way.