Today marks the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. There remains much to rebuild and much debate about who was responsible for the failure to address humanitarian needs leading up to and following the storm. The reality is accountability rests with folks from various levels of government, members of both parties, and partially individuals.

Here you can watch Meet The Press video from this morning on the aftermath and what progress has been made. Louisiana’s U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu and her brother, New Orleans Mayor, discuss the issue.

I have only one thought to add to the coverage we have seen over the last five years. It may be that overt racism, prejudice, or negligence is not to blame for the aftermath. However, in addition to laying bare our poor preparation for disasters nationwide, it may have exposed the blatant disconnect among sections of our society. It perhaps was that disconnect and lack of awareness of what life was like for the folks on the ground with little means that directly resulted in the lack of humanitarian support before and after the storm. And I think that is the real underlying story of Hurricane Katrina.