What millions of ordinary Americans saw on television's images of New Orleans was the brutality, destitution, desperation and chaos of the Third World. Instead of instinctive solidarity, mutality and compassion, they were witnesses to a descent into a Hobbesian state of nature; with Leviathan offering fly-by compassion, 30,000ft up.

Nick Anderson

Katrina was the most anticipated natural catastrophe in modern American history. Instead of acts of mutual support there was the police force of Gretna, south of New Orleans, sealing off a bridge across the Missisippi river against incoming evacuees, and turning them back under threats of gunfire.