Mable B. and Salvatore A. Mangano Sr., the owners of the nursing home in New Orleans where 34 people died during Hurricane Katrina, should be held responsible.

They should have done everything within their means to make sure that their patients were safe.

Officials have said they received adequate warning and made no attempt to remove people. It was the couple's job and responsibility to evacuate the patients their care when Katrina hit.

Most of these people were in conditions in which they wouldn't be able to get themselves out.

The Mangano couple was in a no-win situation, but everything should be taken into account. Judges need to evaluate if anything was done to get their patients taken to safety and take into consideration the terrible circumstances.

The nursing home's owners are likely not the only two people to blame for the deaths that have occurred during this tragedy. As the region begins to recover and the story of how the emergency was handled unfolds, if similar stories arise, those people must also be held accountable.

A thoughtful investigation should be made before pressing charges. Officials need to find out what other people, in similar situations, did to help people they were taking care of.

The entire issue of who is responsible within the government also shouldn't be ignored. There are at least more than 400 other lives that could have been saved had better preventive measures been taken.

With focus shifting to the bad decision made by two people, society shouldn't forget all the good deeds that have come out of this catastrophe.

There are many heroes. Many people who selflessly helped their neighbors. People who were not legally responsible.