Gustav has gone, Tropical Storm Hanna is set to drench the East Coast, but in the quiet before the storm Americans could take a little comfort. Some of the lessons of Katrina have been learned.

Three years ago eerily close to the same time, Katrina devastated New Orleans, inflicting damage from which it still has not recovered and killing some 1,600 people. It also dramatically brought home to Americans that the administration they had trusted to protect the nation was incompetent to deal with a major storm. From Washington on down, the government response was shamefully inadequate.

As Gustav last week appeared to be drawing a bead on New Orleans, perhaps to blast it from the map forever, the nation held its collective breath. In the event, the storm was weaker than expected and far enough away from the city to spare it devastating damage, although the region was far from being left unscathed and widespread power outages still linger. At least 18 people died. Still, the ration of good luck was matched by good management.

This time the authorities were ready. This time the city was evacuated efficiently. This time President Bush was not caught in a cocoon of isolation and denial. He canceled his scheduled appearance at the Republican National Convention to monitor the situation, flying down to emergency command centers in Texas. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff went to New Orleans ahead of the storm. Other state and local officials did their part in responding to the threat.

As nearly 2 million residents returned to their homes on the Gulf Coast on Wednesday, Mr. Bush visited the area and declared the government response "excellent." This time his assessment seemed sound.

Hanna -- or Hurricane Ike behind it -- may overwhelm resources and disturb the nation's confidence, but for the moment the odds for better outcomes seem to have been improved. That's progress worth cheering.