I. Introduction a. Explaining what the paper is about by giving rough detail about the Irma hurricane b. The nexus of the Department of Homeland Security is struck c. Thesis statement: Hurricane Irma has proven that the DHS should step up its efforts to respond to emergencies. II. Description of Hurricane Irma a. How it began b. How it grew c. Places affected d. Property damaged and lives lost III. The DHS nexus – explains how the Irma has an implication of DHS’s work. Successes and failure are identified IV. DHS response a. Detailing the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the rescue operations i. Rescue staff availed ii. Food, water, shelter, clothing items provided b. Detailing the role of other federal agencies in …show more content…
the rescue operations iii. Rescue staff availed iv. Food, water, shelter, clothing items provided v. Other assistance offered toward the operations c. The shortfalls of the DHS pertaining to hurricane Irma V. Recommendation VI. Conclusion Description of Hurricane Irma Hurricane Irma began on August 30, 2017.
It is confirmed to have originated around the Cape Verde Islands as a tropical wave moving off West African coast just three days previously (McNoldy, 2017). The hurricane would soon undergo periods of intensification and decline as it traveled towards the United States coastline. Precisely, the hurricane intensified faster due to favorable conditions just after its formation. It became a Category 2 hurricane within the first 24 hours. Thereafter, the hurricane gained strength to become a Category 3 hurricane. This level of intensity meant that the hurricane was a major one capable of causing destruction. Nevertheless, this intensity would fluctuate to Category 2 and back to Category 3 within the next several days primarily due to eyewall replacements (McNoldy, …show more content…
2017). Irma attained its peak on September 6. At that time, the speed of the hurricane was 295 km/h while the pressure of the winds was 914 hPa (McNoldy, 2017). This means that Irma was the second tropical cyclone after Hurricane Maria in terms of intensity. However, Hurricane Irma topped the world if wind speeds were considered. Irma slipped back to Category 4 due to an eyewall replacement, but it gained momentum again as soon as it made landfall in Cuba. The storm weakened to Category 3 upon interacting with land only to gain momentum to Category 4 as it crossed the arm waters enroute to Florida. There was a landfall in Florida at Cudjoe Key with speeds of about 215 km/h (McNoldy, 2017). Further, the storm dropped to Category 3 on its second landfall at Marco Island, Florida. The storm weakened further to Category 2 later in the day. This would be the first time it lost the status of a major hurricane in a period spanning a week. Eventually, the storm disappeared off New England’s coast on September 16. The hurricane was not only strong in intensity but it also caused massive destructions and losses to the places it swept past. In the first place, Barbuda, Saint Martin, Saint Barthelemy, Virgin Islands and Anguilla witnessed the worst of the hurricane at its peak (that is, the hurricane was on Category 5 when it swept past these places) (Weaver et al., 2017). Credible sources indicate that the hurricane had claimed the lives of 134 people as at October 10. The deaths and quantified losses are represented in the table below: Location Deaths Losses (USD) Anguilla 1 290 million Barbuda 3 215 million Barbados 1 N/A British Virgin Islands 4 1.4 billion Haiti 1 N/A Cuba 10 2.2 billion Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 19.7 million Puerto Rico 3 1 billion Saint Maarten 4 2.5 billion Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin 11 4.07 billion Turks and Caicos Islands 0 500 million U.S. Virgin Islands 4 2.4 billion U.S. 90 50 billion Unknown 2 N/A Totals 134 64.7 billion Source: Firstpost (2017) From the above statistics, it appears that Irma was a devastating event in the history of the US and other affected areas. The US cumulatively lost 94 lives and incurred damages worth well above 50 billion dollars (Firstpost, 2017). This reveals how much unprepared the Department of Homeland Security was towards tackling the hurricane. The work of Homeland Security is to safeguard the lives and property of the US citizens and other persons within the country legally. Therefore, the department should be prepared for calamities such as hurricanes by warning people in advance and making necessary arrangements to relocate people to safer zones. Hurricane Maria just happened recently and the department learnt lessons from it. Consequently, it was expected that the casualty levels would not be as high as they were in Irma. Homeland Security Response Following a press statement by the Department of Homeland Security on September 11, 2017, it emerged that the department alone could not help affected Americans out of the hurricane. It should be noted also that the statement was released when the hurricane was nearing its end, thus it is questionable when exactly the DHS stepped into the matter seriously. Nevertheless, the efforts of the DHS come out clearly from the statement made by its immediate wing – the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As at the time of making the statement, FEMA had issued evacuation orders and availed ready shelters for affected people in Georgia and Florida. It also ensured that other areas potentially susceptible to the hurricane had sufficient state directions ready. In essence, FEMA expected Americans in those areas to heed to the evacuation calls and move to the designated shelters in time. The statement also assured that federal teams, first responders, and voluntary agencies would come to people’s rescue in affected areas although weather conditions might prevent immediate response. Teams were already putting up emergency shelters, offering meals, and comforting the affected persons in hard hit areas (Homeland Security, 2017). Nevertheless, Florida was given priority in those operations because she was the most affected by the hurricane. FEMA had already put in place Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) teams, one Incident Support Team, and two Hazardous Equipment Push Packages (HEPP) in Florida. Furthermore, Georgia had one HEPP and four US&R team. FEMA also deployed its Incident Management Assistant Teams (IMAT) to the Emergency Operation Centers (EOC) in Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina. Notably, over 21,000 federal personnel were already deployed to work in the states affected by the hurricane out of which 2,100 were FEMA staff. FEMA had already transferred to Florida 1.4 million liters of water and 2.4 million meals (Homeland Security, 2017). The agency also had in waiting several commodities for various states as follows: • Over 5 million meals, 2 million liters of water, 100,000 tarps, 47,000 blankets, and 19,000 cots for Alabama • Over 700,000 meals and 2.1 million liters of water for North Carolina • Over 360,000 liters of water for New Jersey (Homeland Security, 2017) Aside from the FEMA efforts, there were other additional federal efforts towards the hurricane as at September 10. These can be summarized as follows: ϖ The American Red Cross – assured the safety of residents by mobilizing personnel and supplies. ϖ The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – took charge of forecasts, warnings, and communications on the hurricane.
ϖ The Corporation for National and Community Service – activated over 160 AmeriCorps to help in the rescue operations ϖ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – had over 300 personnel on the ground ϖ The Defense Logistics Agency – offered plenty of gasoline and diesel for rescue choppers and trucks ϖ U.S. National Guard Bureau – deployed over 50,000 members to help in the operations ϖ The Environmental Protection Agency – coordinates with state and local authorities to assess and remedy the impacts ϖ The Federal Communications Commission – ensuring communication is steady in the affected areas ϖ The Department of Health and Human Services – took care of treatment and disease control in the affected areas (Homeland Security, 2017) Recommendation The DHS came up with a comprehensive team to mitigate the effects of the hurricane Irma. In fact, the entire operations proved that family effort is necessary in the event of calamities. The DHS cannot have experts in all aspects of a disaster, thus other federal agencies and departments as well as volunteering organizations can help a great deal to save lives during
disasters. The DHS should avoid deciding on the spot. Calamities such as the Irma can cause havoc in immeasurable capacities. Therefore, there is the need to strengthen DHS’s disaster plan to know what federal agencies and volunteers are ready to help during such incidents. What emerged at the Irma was some sort of sympathy with the DHS for gross incoordination (Wise, 2006). Indeed, all federal agencies have the duty to chip in where they can in the event of national disasters. The duty cannot be exercised unless the primary department – DHS – lays out a plan on what sort of assistance is needed and to what extent.
Royer, Jordan. “Hurricane Sandy and the importance of being FEMA”, Crosscut.com, Crosscut.com, Web. 1 Nov 2012, 3 May 2014.
From the creation of the Army’s Technical Escort Unit, there has always been one mission that has never changed; the removal, transportation and disposal of chemical weapons. “The U.S. Army Technical Escort Unit was formed in 1944 and is the longest, continuously active, military chemical unit in existence... The unit was formed as a group of specialist to escort chemical weapons”(Cashman, 2000, p. 104). Although this mission type has not faded, the overall mission of these units has expanded to a larger arena.
It is truly one of hurricane lore’s greatest storms. Such greatness had innocuous and humble beginnings. Like all hurricanes that have existed, is existing, and will exist, the hurricane originated within the waters of the world and from the winds of the world. The temperate waters of the eastern North Atlantic Ocean gave rise to the storm upon August 31, 1900. Its birthplace is roughly 400 miles west of Africa’s Cape Verde Islands (Longshore).
In 2003, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was rolled into the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA’s responsibilities are to prepare, protect, respond, and recover from diminish all hazards. There was a mass coverage about the failure for FEMA to act immediately to Katrina, but once they were able to get things organized such as giving food and water, and setting up the tent and shelters communities can be strong and move on.
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
Hurricane Harvey was one of the most devastating hurricanes to strike the United States in several years. Harvey resulted in over eighty fatalities and over 150 billion dollars in damages. This proves to be one of the most destructive hurricanes to be recorded. The overwhelming damage was caused by many different aspects; however, three of the greatest aspects are: varying weather patterns throughout the storm, the city structure of Houston, Texas, and the lack of evacuation. Each of these factors affected the city in a different way, but all resulted in a common outcome, devastation.
Federal intervention in the aftermath of natural disasters began after the San Francisco earthquake in 1906. This 8.3 magnitude earthquake killed 478, and left over 250,000 homeless. While the disaster itself was obviously unavoidable, the subsequent fires that burned throughout the city were a result of poor planning. (1, 17) In an effort to consolidate existing programs, and to improve the nation’s level of preparedness, President Carter created FEMA in 1979. Initially, FEMA was praised for improving communication between various levels of government, and multiple agencies during a crisis. (1,19)
Hurricane Katrina left a devastating scar on the citizens of the southern coast of the U.S., especially New Orleans, Louisiana. The category 5 hurricane was the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the most deadly. Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29th, 2005 and after that day, 66,000 people were displaced from their homes. Of those who decided to ride out the storm with hopes of success and survival as they had experienced with other storms, they were found on their rooftops, in their attics, hoping for boat or helicopter rescue, relying on others for help to survive. The storm had reached 28,000 square feet inward to Louisiana, which was 60 percent of the state. 1,100 Louisianans lost their lives, and 200,000 were displaced and/or lost their homes (Davis 8). It was a devastating time of despair and suffering. People were put through experiences that would scar them for a long time. While preparing for evacuation, people left most of their belongings at home to flee to a safer city or to find shelter in the Superdome and Convention Center. Some even decided to remain in their boarded up homes. After the hurricane had past, a few hours went by and a levee located near the Mississippi River canal broke leaving New Orleans flooded (Delisi). After the disaster, the state and federal governments were pointing fingers at each other as to who was to blame for the poorly planned evacuation and rescue efforts for the victims. The state government promised to help evacuate those who could not transport themselves. Citizens were told to go to the Superdome and convention center for evacuation, but the supplies needed for survi...
On August 29, 2005, the third strongest and biggest hurricane ever recorded in American history hit the Gulf Coast at eight o’clock a.m. The interaction between a tropical depression and a tropical wave created a tropical storm later referred to as Hurricane Katrina (FAQS, 2013). Forming over the Bahamas, Hurricane Katrina gradually strengthened as it moved closer and closer to the Gulf of Mexico. Recorded on August 28th, 2005, Katrina jumped from a category three storm to a category five storm with maximum sustained winds up to 160 miles per hour. Although other hurricanes, such as Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Wilma, exceeded Katrina, this dominant storm was classified as the fourth most intense hurricane based its pressure capacity. Once Hurricane Katrina hit land, it was pronounced as a category four storm moving slowly. While people thought that the slow speed of this storm prevented trauma, records show that Katrina did more damage than any fast-moving storm could have ever achieved (Solanki, 2013). Katrina produced abundant debris. The debris was in such large quantity that if it was stacked together on a football field, the rubble would reach the elevation of ten and a half miles. The size of Katrina also caused 90,000 square miles to be affected. Once proclaimed a category three storm, Hurricane Katrina slowed to the speed of 155 miles per hour. At this point in time, Katrina proved to be the sixth most prevailing hurricane traced in history. (Solanki, 2013). Several different aspects of life were impacted by Hurricane Katrina such as availability of gasoline, economic issues, and the ability to have an adequate supply of drinking water (Solanki, 2013). Hurricane Katrina was a large storm ...
On October 22nd, Hurricane Sandy had developed from a small tropical wave in the western part of the Caribbean Sea and grew increasingly stronger, forming into a Tropical Storm just six short hours later. [2] Its winds gradually became more damaging when Sandy slowly moved northward. On October 24th, Sandy had officially changed from a Tropical Storm to an actual hurricane. Its first victim was an area of land near Kingston, Jamaica. Just a few hours later, the storm made its way back into the Caribbean Sea, and was classified as a Category 2 hurricane. On October 25th, Hurricane Sandy hit the country of Cuba, classifying as now a Category 3 hurricane. It soon weakened in power and became a Category 1 hurricane. On October 26th, Hurricane Sandy had begun its pa...
The storm traveled through the Caribbean, hitting the Cayman Island and Jamaica, before making its way through the Gulf of Mexico, and finally making landfall in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Hurricane Maria was destructive and caused a large amount of damage to the entire island of Puerto Rico. Maria hit on September 20 and was a category four hurricane, nearly a category five. Hurricane Maria has had a tremendous impact on the lives of Puerto Ricans and even the world.
Headquarters, Department of the Army (29 August 2007), FM 3-11.20 Technical Escort Battalion Operations, pgs 1-1 thru 2-14
Kay, Joseph. "Hurricane Katrina: a calamity compounded by poverty and neglect." World Socialist Website. N.p., 31 Aug. 2005. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
A hurricane can be defined as than 64 knots (74 miles per hour; 119 kilometers per hour), originating in the equatorial regions of the Atlantic Ocean or Caribbean Sea or eastern regions of the Pacific Ocean, traveling north, northwest, or northeast from its point of origin, and usually involving heavy rains. Hurricanes are a natural disaster with far reaching consequences. It takes away the lives of millions of people and causes damage to almost all of human creation. It can cause extensive damage to coastlines and several hundred miles inland due to heavy rainfall. It takes away the lives of millions of people and causes damage to almost all of human creation.