Not once did they mention local authorities. Would they prefer, then, that the feds ignore local authorities like they do? Oh, they'd be getting the vapors over that, too!
From the editorial:
.....While the huge federal Department of Homeland Security was being created and money spent with abandon, no one had a plan for how to control a lawless city. After Hurricane Katrina hit, a third of the New Orleans police force disappeared. Federal authorities hesitated, as did state and local authorities, who had responsibility for the initial evacuation orders. ...