It is reasonable to criticize the relevant members of the administration for their poor response or lack of response during the Katrina crisis. However, Katrina was not really an issue for the State Department - it was an issue for Homeland Security, DoD for the Army Corps of Engineers, and I assume DoD also coordinates National Guard response, and certainly there were smaller but important roles for HHS, Transportation, Interior, etc.
Not sure what Rice was doing in New York on the day in question, but if she was hobnobbing with foreign ministers and ambassadors at the UN, good for her - that’s her job.
