The power was out. Phone lines were dead. Homes were damaged. People were homeless. The elderly needed attention.

The immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago posed seemingly insurmountable challenges, members of a panel looking back at the epochal event said in New Orleans last week. Each person quickly realized it was a time to break the rules to save lives and restore order.

Christopher Cahill, who at the time was head nurse at the Veterans Affairs Hospital emergency room in New Orleans, recalled that medical personnel were confronted with ailing patients who were sweltering in the summer heat and humidity without air conditioning.

Then Dr. Mark Rozans came up with a solution. He had the staff open the emergency room windows and doors, move in fans and pour water onto th

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