Sure. Since we knew it was a Cat 5, we should have looked to see what forces were closer, and had them on standby to deploy to the city via trucks (after being flown to Lousiana after the storm), and through boats and landing craft if available. But first we should have airlifted troops in there, and had them deploy throughout the city to keep order and deliver instructions.
On the same vehicles, whether trucks, boats, or helicopters that we brought troops in, we should have filled them back up with people and of course, some troops remaining and brought those people to relief centers, military bases, and naval ships, with instructions on where to deliver people well enough to travel to different air-conditioned relief centers throughout the nation.
We should also have been bringing in tons of ice, food and water, and set up concension stands to serve hot food outside of the coliseum in New Orleans at least, and elsewhere if possible. There should be several generators delivered with fuel to the same place to air-condition it.
This stuff is not rocket science. It's not that we have not trained, nor have the forces to do this. We have a lack of leadership within the civilian command structure to accomplish this.
By the way, "we" stands for us, the people of America. The government works for us, not the other way around, or it's suppossed to be that way.