Disengaged

"I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees."

George W. Bush on Good Morning America, September 1, 2005 (3 days after Katrina hit New Orleans)

"could greatly overtop levees and protective systems" and "incredible search and rescue needs (60,000-plus)."

Computer presentation by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) early in the morning of August 27th, 2005 (2 days before the hurricane hit New Orleans)

"likely lead to severe flooding and/or levee breaching."

41-page assessment by the Department of Homeland Security's National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC) emailed to White House August 29th (hours before the storm hit).

Moreover, way back on July 23rd, 2004 (13 months before Katrina), FEMA received a report on the effects of a fictitious Category 3 Hurricane named Pam. They predicted the liklihood of levees breaking, thousands dead, even more stranded, and the lack of communication among first responders and leaders. The federal government paid half a million dollars for this report, so I hope they listened.

There's more information in this Washington Post article and a bunch more in this timeline.