Actually the only people I see being confused are the posters on this thread.
Page 9 of the NRP clearly states that the DDHS is not empowered to act until Federal Assistance is requested, or Directed by the President.In fact it clearly desginates the Governor and Local executive as being Directly responsible for the People in jeopardy.
I also think the article is ignoring that teh levees broke somewhat after the hurricane passed, so this "36 hours after the hurricane hit" may be misleading. I think the response was fantastic and unprecedented. If it can be mnade better next time, great, but we are allowing "blame" to be assessed for a success.