More than a month after Hurricane Katrina left the Gulf Coasts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana in ruins, generating weeks of broadcast news hindsight and miles of newsprint quarterbacking it’s only fitting that we fire our own analyses of the rescue and recovery efforts, providing a unique spin on what we’ve learned from this tragedy. Like the typical management assessment technique, let’s start with the good and submerge into the bad and then the ugly.

THE GOOD. Hundreds of thousands of people were saved. Many departed with fair warnings that were early enough to enable the appropriate preparations. Others escaped at the last minute. The rest had to be rescued and evacuated. Thankfully, fewer died than was anticipated but that sigh of relief shouldn’t discount or dismiss the fact that hundreds – nearing four figures – perished.

The massive rescue and relief effort demonstrated the character, heart, soul and spirit of the American people. From doctors to nurses to firemen to police officers to military personnel to even selfless private citizens (many of whom may never be named or recognized) we witnessed a tireless commitment to saving lives, easing pain and providing some degree of comfort and reassurance day-after-day, night-after-night, regardless of cost, exhibiting dedication in the face of endless fatigue. They represent what’s right about America and should be appreciated.

Call the rescue, recovery and relief efforts crisis, disaster or emergency management but if you strip away the fancy titles and nebulous concepts you’ll recognize that the core represents simple logistics and supply chain management. What we learned (as we should have learned after 9/11) is that materials management can make a difference between life and death after all. None of the relief workers could accomplish what they did without the resources they needed. Hence, the function – and the profession – is important and deserves to be strengthened and respected.

THE BAD. Unfortunately, most won’t recognize the importance of sound materials management and myopically will continue to disregard its strategic and tactical position in the executive suite.

To ramp up an effective (forget efficient) logistics operation of this magnitude takes an inordinate amount of time and considerable foresight and planning. In hindsight, many argued that the federal government took too long to respond. However, as a democratic republic with significant power wielded by the states, the finger-pointing initially should have been directed toward the elected (and apparently inept) chief executives in Baton Rouge and New Orleans and not immediately at The White House. It was the Louisiana governor and New Orleans mayor who ordered remaining residents to gather at the previously well-groomed Superdome and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center – without further instructions (save for the mayor telling irritated people to take whatever they need).

Obviously, there’s a major flaw in the communications system, which is the lynchpin behind the formation of the Homeland Security Department and the national electronic health record initiative. How ironic that Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein can learn about American government and military strategies on the other side of the world by watching CNN, and the FEMA chief doesn’t know for 24 hours what’s happening about 1,000 miles from Washington, D.C.

Finally, so much for all these high-tech computer solutions to healthcare’s problems. Without electricity, they mean squat. Batteries and gas generators, perhaps? Or back to the drawing board?

THE UGLY. Yes, New Orleans is hot and sticky. In a more shameful than shocking revelation, the climate, coupled with the floodwaters and the delayed federal response (don’t forget: we do live in an immediate gratification world) extracted the arrogance and selfishness of Americans that the rest of the world deep down knows is there. As America continues to polish its legacy of ‘caregiver to the world’ with mock humility its efforts were tarnished by video footage of a strong people easily broken by mere inconvenience, and the media and political backlash that ensued. Other less-fortunate cultures around the world suffer through similar tragedies with more maturity and tact. And contrary to the media and politicos, it has nothing to do with economic and social class or race. The despicable behavior that led to deplorable conditions at the Superdome and Convention Center transcends those red herrings, which shrouds the real issue at stake: Attitude that reflects the heart. The Associated Press labeled New Orleans a "once-vibrant city of 480,000 people, overtaken … by floods, looting, rape and arson. There’s simply no excuse for such aberrant behavior, save for poor parenting and discipline.

What did we learn? Unfortunately, the delineation between First World and Third World status is thin indeed – at least in New Orleans. We apparently are one world after all.