Final answer:
Preparedness within NIMS involves implementing emergency measures and ensuring infrastructure resilience. The response to Katrina emphasized the need for expert personnel and interagency collaboration. Immediate changes are required to enhance emergency responses.
Step-by-step explanation:
Within the National Incident Management System (NIMS), preparedness is focused on several key elements, including implementing civil defense and emergency preparedness measures, which encompasses anti-terrorism legislation. Another critical element is ensuring the resilience of a critical national infrastructure. The Federal response to Hurricane Katrina highlighted the need for such preparedness, where reductions in expert personnel and preparedness programs were noted as significant issues. Lessons learned from Katrina, as reported by the Washington Post, included the importance of collaboration between federal, state, and local government agencies to foster a “culture of preparedness” and the necessity for immediate changes to improve emergency response systems.