Final answer:
The failure of assistance to arrive in a timely manner after Hurricane Katrina was due to a lack of efficiency and effectiveness in the government's response, highlighting the need for greater agility and innovation in federal emergency management.
Step-by-step explanation:
The failures in the response to Hurricane Katrina mostly pointed to a lack of efficiency and effectiveness in the antiquated government system.
Bureaucratic red tape significantly delayed emergency services and demonstrated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) struggled with coordination and the utilization of the available rescue infrastructure.
With the storm having been forecasted well in advance, the expectation was that FEMA, under the Bush administration, should have been prepared for the disaster. Yet the response displayed a system that was not agile or innovative, highlighting significant issues in federal response to emergencies.
It was evident after Hurricane Katrina that the federal government and its agencies, such as FEMA, lacked the agility to respond swiftly and effectively to large-scale disasters.
The bureaucratic structures, largely involved with the Department of Defense, exhibited inherent inefficiencies and the failures during Katrina revealed the nation's economic inequality and racial divisions.
Also, the event underscored the difficulties in federalism where coordination between state and federal levels of government is crucial. The Katrina disaster underscored the pressing need for innovation in bureaucratic processes and emergency response protocols.