WASHINGTON — Sen. Olympia Snowe warned Tuesday that the government must better prepare for the next major catastrophe, whether from natural disaster or terrorists. Snowe, R-Maine, endorsed a proposal to create a single federal official to oversee the rebuilding efforts in hurricane-ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi.

"We've got to learn the lessons from this emergency and we've got to prepare for the future," she said.

Snowe made her comments after touring the Gulf Coast region with the Coast Guard.

"I got to see on the ground the enormity of the task that resulted - the pollution, the contamination, the houses lying in ruins - in the destruction of an entire city," she said. "People sorting through their belongings were wearing masks because of the mold and the fumes."

Snowe, chairwoman of the Commerce subcommittee on the Coast Guard, toured the area with the commandant, Adm. Tom Collins. Another official, Vice Adm. Thad Allen, took over emergency response to the hurricane after the ouster of the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Despite criticism of other agencies, the Coast Guard boosted its reputation while rescuing 33,000 people from floodwaters, sometimes hacking through windows or roofs of homes, Snowe said.

Around New Orleans, the senator visited the Harriet Lane, a 270-foot cutter based in Portsmouth, Va., which usually conducts drug interdiction and search-and-rescue missions. The ship now serves as a communications center and a makeshift dock for other boats.

Snowe flew over the city by helicopter and also saw Gulfport, Miss., much of which was wiped out. She arrived at the airport at the same time as the National Guard's 101st Air Refueling Wing, nicknamed the "Maineiacs." She also met a group of Coast Guard members from Portland who were building a dining hall.

Numerous lawmakers are touring the Gulf Coast to review recovery efforts and study what should happen next in a catastrophe where federal, state and local governments responded initially in chaos and inaction. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, visited the region Friday as part of a 14-member Senate delegation.

Both Maine senators plan hearings later this week. Snowe, chairwoman of the Small Business Committee, will hear Thursday about implications for small businesses. Collins, chairwoman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, will hear Friday from mayors of damaged cities.