Ultimately, the ONLY reason for a Federal Government is to handle matters this large.
This catastrophe spread across city, county and state lines, was larger than any smaller political entity could handle. FEMA was created for precisely this reason.
There were a lot of failures, obviously, and the largest was that of the Federal government and it's agency dedicated to handling these matters.
The other failures are much more understandable. And excusable. The fact that FEMA had an incompetent political appointee more concerned with his image and perks than the people he was supposed to be aiding is telling.
Arf