Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Katrina showed that the United States had significant deficiencies in which area?

The focus on the emergency management system as the area with significant deficiencies highlighted by Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Katrina is accurate because both events revealed critical gaps in the coordination and execution of emergency response efforts. After Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992, it became evident that there was a need for improved planning, resource allocation, and communication among federal, state, and local agencies involved in disaster response.

Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, underscored these issues on a far larger scale, showcasing failures not only in preparedness but also in the real-time response to a large-scale disaster. The challenges faced during Katrina included delayed response times, inadequate evacuation plans, and insufficient resources to meet the needs of affected populations. This catastrophe spurred extensive evaluations and reforms of the emergency management system, leading to the creation of more robust protocols for disaster readiness and response.

The disasters illustrated the necessity of a coordinated emergency management framework that effectively integrates various levels of government and community resources, addressing problems such as logistics, communication barriers, and inter-agency collaboration. As a result, significant investments and legislative changes were made to strengthen the nation's emergency management capabilities in the aftermath of these hurricanes.