Disaster Response For Hurricane Katrina

1464 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Government response to katrina

Post Disaster Response for Hurricane Katrina
Government preparation efforts had been in the works for years prior to Hurricane Katrina striking the Gulf Coast. In fact a recent as 2004 a hurricane drill was hosted by FEMA simulating a disaster event rivaling that of Hurricane Katrina including the evisceration of the city in also a similar manner. This drill, otherwise known as the “Hurricane Pam” drill, caused enough of an effect to get additional funding for preventative measures.
Governor Kathy Blanco asked President George W. Bush to do likewise, as she declared a state of emergency. He acquiesced the next day. These got the ball rolling by enabling FEMA to acquire and disperse funds and equipment necessary as they saw fit. On August 29th, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, LA. The initial wave of first responders we a thousand workers from the Homeland of Security give assistance to New Orleans specifically. FEMA also encouraged no emergency personnel such as rescue units as well as firefighters engage in Katrina effected areas prior to being assembled and organized by local municipalities and the state. This proved to be a hindrance in the efforts to respond to the damage caused by and danger still impending from Hurricane Katrina. FEMA was also hesitant to allow private entities to assist. This of course added to the woes of the Superdome which was being used as a temporary housing for over twenty thousand people.
The government response was lackluster at best. The scenarios the government war gamed in order to prepare for mass destruction and disaster was not adequate enough to contain the unanticipated damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and failing levees. Once breached, the rescue and response to the...

... middle of paper ...

...nse of security for those that have returned home to New Orleans. It must be some significant piece of mind knowing that our government’s finest stand between these people and Mother Nature. If any entity could withstand the massive onslaught of desolation storms of this magnitude, our federal government can. The biggest shame in everything we have learned from the Post Katrina Disaster response could probably be summed up by saying having the government prepare on our behalf is most likely the best strategic move, as the resources and competence of our government knows no bounds when it comes to keeping people safe from natural disasters. If only our government could have been available throughout the history of time to prepare for, defend against, and repair from the many natural occurrences of disasters that seem to be ever increasing in our world. (Woodruff)

Show More
Related

  • James Lee Witt Effective Leadership of FEMA

    1945 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sobel, Russell S., and Peter T. Leeson. "Government's Response to Hurricane Katrina: A Public Choice Analysis." Public Choice 127.1-2 (2006): 55-73. ProQuest. Web. 3 May 2014.

    Read More

  • The Bias and Suffering after Hurricane Katrina: Trouble The Water, and Zeitoun

    1460 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the late summer of 2005, a terrible tragedy occurred that changed the lives of many in the south-east region of the United States. A Category 3, named storm, named Hurricane Katrina, hit the Gulf Coast on the 29th of August and led to the death of 1,836 and millions of dollars’ worth of damage (Waple 2005). The majority of the damage occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana. Waple writes in her article that winds “gusted over 100 mph in New Orleans, just west of the eye” (Waple 2005). Not only was the majority of the damage due to the direct catastrophes of the storm but also city’s levees could no longer hold thus breaking and releasing great masses of water. Approximately, 80% of the city was submerged at sea level. Despite the vast amount of damage and danger all throughout the city, officials claimed that there was work being done to restore the city of New Orleans as a whole but many parts, and even the people, of the city were overlooked while areas of the city with higher economic value, and more tourist traffic, were prioritized along with those individuals.

    Read More

  • How the Government Failed the Victims of Hurricane Katrina

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though it is the responsibility of the federal and state governments to aid citizens during times of disaster, the people devastated by Hurricane Katrina were not effectively facilitated as according to their rights as citizens of the United States. The government’s failures to deliver assistance to citizens stem from inadequate protection systems in place before the storm even struck. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security were the two largest incumbents in the wake of the storm. The failure of these agencies rests on the shoulders of those chosen to head the agency. These directors, appointed by then president George W. Bush, were not capable of leading large government agencies through a crisis, let alone a disaster the magnitude of Hurricane Katrina. Along with the federal government, the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans did not do enough to lesseb the damage caused by the storm, and forced thousands of poorer citizens to remain in cramped and unsanitary conditions for extended periods of time. The culmination of federal, state, and local government’s failures in suppressing and repairing the damage of Hurricane Katrina to a level acceptable for citizens of the United States is a denial of the rights citizens of the United States hold.

    Read More

  • Superdome Hurricane Fail

    1676 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the two previous hurricanes that made their way onto the New Orleans coast, the Superdome was also used for a shelter during these times. The use of the building as a sanctuary then, even in the face of much lesser hurricanes, was nothing short of a disaster. In Hurricane Georges and Ivan, supplies and planning were not evident. Reports were made that during Georges, citizens were stealing items from the dome and damaged much of the Superdome which cost the city thousands. This shows the lack of attention to patterns in the Superdomes’ past and It was also very difficult during Georges to get the supplies they did have to citizens inside the dome. During this disaster, there were only an estimated number of 14,000 people in the dome compared to the over 20,000 during Katrina. If it was difficult to provide citizens with essential services inside the Superdome during a far less severe hurricane with approximately 6,000 less people involved, the idea to let the Superdome weather Katrina with little to no planning was a astronomical mistake and a scary decision coming from the mayor who is in charge of keeping his people safe.

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina: The New Orleans Levee Failures

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most of the destructions from the events of August 29th 2005, when Katrina Hit the City Of New Orleans, were not only caused by the storm itself; but also, by failure of the engineering of the levee system protecting the entire infrastructure of the city. The years of poor decision making and avoidance of the levee system led to one of the most catastrophic events in the history of the United States. Throughout our research, we have identified three key players in charge of the levee system design, construction and maintenance. These three organizations are the Unites States Corps of Engineers, the New Orleans Levee District and the Louisiana Department of Transportation. The consequences of the hurricane showed the organizations negligence in the design, construction and maintenance of the protective walls. Later independent sresearch showed that more than 50 levees and food walls failed during the passage of the hurricane. This failure caused the flooding of most of New Orleans and all of ST. Bernard Parish. The Unites States Corps of Engineers had been in charge of the of the levee system and flood walls construction since the 1936 flood act. According to the law, the Louisiana Department of Transportation is in charge to inspect the overall design and engineering practices implemented in the construction of the system. Once the levee systems were finished, they were handed over to the New Orleans Levee District for regular maintenance and periodically inspections. The uncoordinated actions of these three agencies resulted in the complete failure of a system that was supposed to protect the people of New Orleans. The evidence is clear that this catastrophic event did not happened by chance. The uncoordinated response of these...

    Read More

  • Fema's Role In Hurricane Katrina

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hurricane Katrina was considered as the worst hurricane in the history of United States. The winds and the rain were shattering people’s homes which collapsed and flooded. Thousands of people were suffering and dying. People were starving, and becoming dehydrated. Many people were left on the street and became homeless. After the hurricane, so many questions were left regarding the widespread damage and loss of loved ones. This devastating disaster destroyed the city of New Orleans and nearby cities and was estimated to cost $80 billion dollars in damage. State and local emergency in the affected area were struggling to perform urgent response missions such as emergency medical services, search and rescue, firefighting, giving food and water,

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina: America's Costliest Storm

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Coast Guard, for instance, rescued some 34,000 people in New Orleans alone, and many ordinary citizens commandeered boats, offered food and shelter, and did whatever else they could to help their neighbors. Yet the government–particularly the federal government–seemed unprepared for the disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) took days to establish operations in New Orleans, and even then did not seem to have a sound plan of action. Officials, even including President George W. Bush, seemed unaware of just how bad things were in New Orleans and elsewhere: how many people were stranded or missing; how many homes and businesses had been damaged; how much food, water and aid was needed. Katrina had left in her wake what one reporter called a “total disaster zone” where people were “getting absolutely

    Read More

  • America's Response to Hurricane Katrina

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    America’s response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans was stress, heartache, and emptiness from the loss of everything that some of them owned. It caused devastation to the people who lived there, because they lost their homes, as well as family members on this terrible day. Some Americans felt like they were not treated fairly by several organizations and first responders. People were not prepared for the amount of disaster that struck on that day.

    Read More

  • Impact Of Hurricane Katrina

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating natural disasters to happen in the United States. The storm resulted in more then US$100 billion in damage when the cities flood protection broke and 80% of the city was flooded (1). The protection failure was not the only cause for the massive flooding, the hurricanes clockwise rotation pulled water from north of New Orleans into the city. 330,000 homes were destroyed and 400,000 people from New Orleans were displaced, along with 13,00 killed (1). Although the population quickly recovered, the rate of recovery slowed down as the years went on leading us to believe not everyone

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina Informative Response

    3481 Words  | 7 Pages

    Unfortunately, many Americans believed that the government would be there to render aid in the face of a natural disaster, but it was not. Almost 75% of respondents from Brodie’s survey said that response from the government was too slow following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Six out of ten reported the experience made them feel as if the government would have responded sooner if they had been wealthy and/or white. This led to a sense of blame being placed on issues concerning race and

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina Fault

    1903 Words  | 4 Pages

    In summary, the events of Hurricane Katrina had left a lasting and devastating impact on not only the general public, but also those within public safety including local, state and federal agencies. The storm had affected nearly hundreds of square miles resulting in thousands of casualties, and people misplaced with no homes to go to as well. In addition, there were many contributing factors that had resulted in major life, including the geography of New Orleans, how the levees around New Orleans were built, as well as the lack of coordination between local, state and federal officials.

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina

    2601 Words  | 6 Pages

    The initial response or lack thereof, to the widespread disaster in the Gulf Coast, caused by Hurricane Katrina, demonstrated high levels of incompetence and disorganization by government officials. Images of desperate individuals awaiting rescue on their rooftops, and masses of people packed together in deplorable conditions in the Super Dome, circulated the globe. There was no hiding from the painful reality and the obvious inaction or inability of those responsible to care for these individual in the wake of this catastrophe. (12, 791)

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    Excuses, poorly chosen photographs, public statements and denial all demonstrate just how unequipped President Bush was to deal with this disaster. “A few days after Katrina struck New Orleans last September, President Bush told the press that the relationship between the federal, state and local governments is “an important relationship, and I need to understand how it works better”” (Dreier, 2006). A true leader, one who possessed the basic skills necessary for crisis management, would have known the three keys qualities he needed to exhibit were trust, communication and collaboration.

    Read More

  • Hurricane Katrina: Causes, Effects, and Aftermath

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    On early morning of August 29th, 2005 on the Gulf Shore near New Orleans, a devastating hurricane struck. It wrecked havoc, demolishing anything in its path. Leaving nothing but mounds of trash. The surviving people were forced to leave due to massive flooding and the destruction of their homes. New Orleans was not the only place hit by Katrina but it was one of the areas that was hit the hardest. Millions of people were affected by this tragedy and the cost range was up in the billions. Crime rates went up, no one had a place to stay and water was polluted. The damage done by Katrina affected New Orleans and the other areas hit years after it struck. Restoration for the areas hit was going to need support from all of America and support groups across the country. No one was ready for this tragedy or could ever predict the horrible outcome.

    Read More

  • Natural Disasters- Hurricanes

    1668 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...he government of Louisiana soon came up with new criteria on how future structure should be built to withstand more natural disasters like these. Not only knowing basic information, knowing how to prepare, and seeing how Hurricane Katrina was so destructive should help the forty five million citizens that live on hurricane prone coastlines prepare for anything like this in the future.

    Read More

More about Disaster Response For Hurricane Katrina

Open Document