US response failed at all levels, says Powell

FORMER US Secretary of State and possible leader for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts Colin Powell yesterday said the government had failed at all levels in its response to the disaster.

Mr Powell, the highest-ranking black official in US President George W Bush’s first term, also said he does not believe race was a factor in the slow delivery of relief to the hurricane victims.

“I think there have been a lot of failures at a lot of levels - local, state and federal. There was more than enough warning over time about the dangers to New Orleans. Not enough was done,” Mr Powell told ABC News interviewer Barbara Walters in an interview aired last night.