General Saving People During Katrina Remembers Painful Lessons from Aftermath

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Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, who has since retired, led the joint task force for rescue and relief in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina

He believes the much-scrutinized federal response to disasters has improved since Katrina, thanks in part to advancements in technology and social media platforms

His own approach and on-the-ground efforts earned the trust of many flood victims

Now-retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, who led military recovery operations in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina while thousands remained stranded and most of the city was still under water, says some of the same lessons from the catastrophic flood still apply today.

Namely, he says, Americans should look out for and rely on their neighbors — not just the federal government — when facing evacuat