Essay Questions:
1. Congress expanded the authority of FEMA to provide assistance and imposed requirements on federal officials to ensure that effective pre-disaster preparation action would be taken through the Post-Katrina Emergency Reform Act of 2006. Briefly explain four of the major changes to the Stafford Act that resulted.
The resulted overview post Katrina evaluated the deficiency of leadership and action. The conclusion was the revision of the federal emergency management policies and it reorganized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and enhanced and clarified the mission, functions, and authorities of the agency, as well as those of its parent, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The four modifications made
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What one satellite band, without considering cost and current availability, would you recommend to an emergency manager for communications in an emergency and why?
The selection of satellites bands with wider frequencies allows a variety of information to travel and decreases the limitation of usage by the users. The Ka-Band (26-40GHz) the communication satellites provides high resolution, close ranges targeting radar on military crafts(TIA,2013). The current suggestion of band would be the Ka-Band (26-40GHz) the communication satellites allows high resolution, close ranges that support strong military functions(TIA,2013). advancements to the developing concept, identify leverage over the other choices, utilizing Ka-bands do propose substantiated risks however, it is still operable (Lewis, 2014). Users offering themselves a band with wider frequency means information can transfer swiftly whereas, a smaller frequency could offer more accuracy but limits the user capability. All forums offer positive attribute and consequential attributes but overall the assessment has to be made by the operation leader. As technology develops engineers are developing ideal that are properly modified to support the needs of the community and excel in
FEMA was established after a number of serious natural disasters that took place, but after that there were very few disasters so FEMA has not been in practice. Secondly FEMA has a history of poor planning, people with skill sets not suited for emergency response, FEMA was therefore not considered to be a priority agency when Hurricane Katrina
time of crisis by R. David Paulison, who unlike Brown, has had a career focused on disaster
Many people acted gallantly after Hurricane Katrina. The Coast Guard, rescued nearly 34,000 people in New Orleans alone, and everyday citizens commanded boats, offered needed supplies including food, and did whatever else they could do to help the ones in need. But, the government seemed to be caught off guard from this disaster. The FEMA took days to authorize operations in New Orleans, and even then did not seem to have a guaranteed plan. Officials, along with President George W. Bush, seemed oblivious to the extravagance of problems and suffering New Orleans and elsewhere.
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
FEMA was not able to provide effective disaster relief due to incompetent leadership. Those in charge, such as FEMA Director Michael D. Brown were unqualified and in power because of connections to the Bush Administration. Bush’s saving grace in this category was his quick passing of the “PATRIOT Act”. Though it can be argued that it was a poor decision in the long run, he responded quickly and innovatively in an attempt to protect America from potential terrorist attacks.
In a time of crisis, the government response to the situation at hand was poor and inefficient. There were numerous flaws and errors in the relief plan proposed to the government which in turn led to delayed relief to victims in need. The immediate response phase after Katrina lasted roughly 12 days. During this time, “victims were evacuated, rescued, sheltered, and received medical care from first responders, charities and other non-governmental organizations, and private citizens”(McNeill, 2011). The fact that the U.S. government organizations were not the first responders to the disaster is shameful for our country.
Over the years of Hurricane Katrina, FEMA faced many criticisms. Not only FEMA, but “every level of government was roundly criticized”( Howellq ). Back in 9/11, They acted fast and accordingly to the disaster. During hurricane Katrina, they were slow and had false promises that the locals of New Orleans believed ( Maestri, “The Storm”, PBS ). Many people asked FEMA for resources and help, but that turned down because they did not “ask the right way” ( Hale “The Storm”, PBS). During an interview with one of FEMA’s secretaries, “Michael Brown”, had claimed that FEMA could not help Louisiana because they didn’t tell them what they
Over the years of Hurricane Katrina, Fema faced many criticisms. Back in 9/11, They acted fast and accordingly to the disaster. During hurricane Katrina, they were slow and had false promises that the locals of New orleans believed (Maestri, “The
The Hurricane Katrina disaster highly challenged the operations of FEMA thereby leading to great changes in the agency. The Storm that is ranked as the third most intense U.S. landfalling intense caught the FEMA and at large the Department of Homeland Security unprepared thereby leading to severe losses. The hurricane claimed more than 1200 individuals and a total property of around $108 billion, of which could have minimized if FEMA could have carried out its operations effectively (Bea, 2006).
The first thing I propose FEMA does is find out what people really felt went wrong during Hurricane Katrina. You heard a lot in those days of how FEMA should have reacted and what they did not do to help the people. During this horrific storm people were all over the place along with FEMA because nothing like that had occurred in a very long time. For example, for the state of Florida it is very common to encounter hurricanes with all levels of damage, and in reality, Louisiana
The Bush Administration and FEMA were heavily criticized for being slow in the Katrina incident in New Orleans. Michael Brown was also criticized for being the one in charge of handling the situation and before was given praise by the president for doing a good job with the disaster. Michael Brown later was forced to resign from office. Later, Congress formed a legislation called the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, which can now make the agency now for capable of handling disasters natural or man-made.
Hurricane Katrina exposed huge issues in the United States disaster preparedness and response programs. In 2005, the structure for homeland security was unable to manage catastrophic events like Hurricane Katrina. Unified management of national response
In the integration of FEMA into the DHS, FEMA had to contribute to the start-up costs of the new department, but unfortunately evidence suggests that the agency may have been made to pay a disproportionately higher amount than larger agencies. FEMA officials say this directly affected their levels of service in 2004 and 2005 (14). In the integration, FEMA lost some programs, but lost major ones as well (14). In 2005, plans continued to reduce FEMA. Director at the time, Michael Brown, wrote a memo in June expressing his concern about the agency’s future if the cuts continued (13). Perhaps the most ironic cut was the disaster planning exercise “Hurricane Pam.” This exercise, in which outlines a scenario where a disastrous hurricane hits New Orleans, leaving more than 100,000 people in the city, began a year before Katrina. The exercise was never finished because the Bush Administration cut funding (13).
The High Frequency (HF) radio band is defined as the range of frequencies in the radio spectrum between 3 and 30 megahertz . Military organizations have used HF radios for both strategic and tactical communications for more than 80 years. However with the development of satellite communications (SatCom) use of HF communication were de-emphasized and fell in to disuse. In contrast to this importance of HF communication still existing for military applications. The militaries around the world must have a robust long range communication system that does not rely on existing communication infrastructure in emergencies, since the satellite comms and other comms infrastructure will present most lucrative targets for the enemy.
The failure of FEMA during these events brought a transformation to the organization, to the point it actually became an incredibly effective program. The lessons learned allowed FEMA to act efficiently and effectively through a variety of emergencies. According to Haddow et al. (2011), it worked flawlessly for “The Midwest floods of 1993, the Northridge, California earthquake, and for “The Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995” (p. 11). These multifaceted events, proves that when operated effectively the all hazards approach is more