Mother Nature flexed her muscles briefly along the Atlantic coast this past week, reminding us again of the occasional perils of living at ocean’s edge. Here in Texas we didn’t see much fallout — not this time. Still, we like to think we stand ready when another storm roars into the Gulf of Mexico, uprooting the lives of fellow citizens on the Texas coast or elsewhere in the Gulf.

Hurricane Earl’s arrival on the scene almost exactly five years after Hurricane Katrina finds us far more confident in our state and local leaders’ abilities to coordinate and adequately meet the needs of desperate Americans frantically fleeing inland.

Communication skills

Granted, relief efforts in Waco to house, feed and care for Gulf residents fleeing the destruction of Katrina were uncertain at first. Tempers flared between city officials and church leaders trying to answer needs of evacuees. Chief problem: Communication, or the lack of it.

Fortunately, by the time Hurricane Rita came along just weeks later, the city had mastered its role in relief efforts, principally by keeping nonprofits and churches informed of what it could do and what it was learning from state and federal officials. Church officials learned their roles in such matters, too, and by the time the two hurricanes had done their worst and relief efforts wrapped up, Waco by at least some estimates had provided shelter and assistance to more than 10,000 people. Our city was ready again when Hurricane Ike made landfall near Galveston last year.

Through each of these crises, Gov. Rick Perry has appeared strong, firmly in command and displaying a no-nonsense management style. Even critics admit he performs competently when disaster looms.

Yes, President George W. Bush’s administration fumbled badly during Katrina, proving first and foremost the absolute folly of appointing supporters and cronies to positions for which they’re unqualified. Just as disturbing was the realization that the many levels of federal bureaucracy poised to help ultimately lacked crucial coordination with one another and others, paralyzing them just when they were most needed.

Not only did those under the president fail him but state and local leaders in Louisiana unfortunately thought this a game of political brinkmanship. Lives were lost, people suffered, a great city was nearly destroyed and a people lost faith in their government.

Katrina today stands as a national embarrassment in the face of a natural calamity. Yet it opened our eyes not only to the limitations of man in the face of the elements but the need to hold our elected leaders accountable for failures in management, organization and resolve almost as destructive as the elements themselves.