"And why hadn't we gone this overboard to care for the people of FL when hurricanes, floods and devastation hit there?"
Two reasons:
1) The devastation and loss of life is many times greater in this storm, thus much greater need exists. Even the extensive damage left by Hurricane Andrew doesn't come close.
2) Florida's leadership was competent.
Actually, it is interesting that we here almost exclusively about helping New Orleans.
This storm devestated three states, and about the only place we here complaining about FEMA is New Orleans.
New Orleans actually came through the hurricane relatively intact. If the brand-new retaining wall on the canal had not collapsed (THERE IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED), the dome people would have been going home tuesday afternoon.
It was the rising floodwaters a day after the storm was over that caused the major problems. And even the mayor said he didn't know it was happening right away.
If FEMA was the problem, we would here these tragic reports from all the states. We don't.
If there had never been a hurricane, and that wall had collapsed the way it did, the situation in New Orleans would probably have been 10 times WORSE than it is, because there would have been no evacuation ahead of time, no warning.
That may be the real story. A terrorist could have sailed a single mid-sized barge up against that wall, blown it up, and probably killed a hundred thosand people in rising floodwaters, and caused billions of dollars of damage.