Might as well blame the dinosaurs for not being meteorologists.
How many "pandemics" have we faced? SARS, H1N1, Swine flu, Avaian flu... all duds. Or perhaps successfully managed, but effectively increasing complacency to the point that Obama did not replace the N95s and other equipment used in H1N1 and di Blasio actually encouraged people to disregard the warnings about coronavirus and go out on the town.
Sometimes bad things happen. Of course they happen when you are least prepared. Murphy's Law. Some people roll up their sleeves and get to work, while others look for someone to blame.