How did the essential buildings in New Orleans perform both during and after Hurricane Katrina? With limited resources and restricted access, ASCE's Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) sent a team to study five facilities in New Orleans, on December 5, 2005. Essential buildings are expected to be minimally damaged and remain operational during extreme events. How is it that, of the facilities inspected, only one performed successfully as a storm shelter during Hurricane Katrina? This report presents the findings of this investigation. It is organized into chapters addressing the performance of: Mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP)systems Building envelopes Structural systems Fire protection and life safety systems Communication systems The final chapter of Multidisciplinary Assessment of Critical Facility Response to Natural Disasters: The Case of Hurricane Katrina presents a new approach to multi-disciplinary risk assessment. Building evaluations in the aftermath of catastrophic events should adopt and build upon the methodology in this book