The document discusses improving disaster response capabilities based on lessons learned from hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma in 2005. It notes that while local authorities typically handle most emergencies, these large-scale disasters exposed weaknesses in US emergency response. For crises of unusual scale and complexity, predetermined emergency plans are often inadequate, as was seen in New Orleans. It argues for developing improved capabilities for flexible, improvised responses tailored to unprecedented challenges like mass evacuation, infrastructure repair, and long-term sheltering needs.