Modern Federalism : Hurricane Katrina

Federalism is two governments working together and sharing power. This means that the national government does not have all the power since the states have some and the states have some power so the national government have all the power. They share power so one doesn’t grow too powerful and become a tyrant. An example is driving laws. The states can make their own driving laws and there is no national power over it. But the national government does have the power to override the states if they think the states are becoming too loose in their

time of crisis by R. David Paulison, who unlike Brown, has had a career focused on disaster

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. The results were catastrophic. Katrina and storm-related flooding took more than 1,800 lives and caused an estimated $81 billion in damages. In the storm’s aftermath, there was widespread debate over government response to the disaster. I believe that the bulk of the responsibility lay with the state and local governments. They should have been better prepared ahead of time and had more comprehensive plans in place to minimize danger to citizens. The national government has traditionally only sent its military into a state at the request of that state’s governor. The governors of Louisiana and Mississippi did not immediately request that action (Fraga, L.

When problems arise in our nation, we are left with a complicated crisis as to whose job it is to do what and who exactly should be taking care of any bad situation that seems to pop up with daily life anywhere in the world, but in this case, America. Certain governmental systems, such as Federalism, can be considered a solution to these crises. Federalism can be defined as the relationship between the individual state governments of America and the national or federal government of the United States; and works to balance the power of a large central government, and the power of the smaller regional governments.

Why was the Louisiana National Guard unable to help? The headquarters were flooded also by Katrina

The communication breakdown took place because of the breakdown in the communication infrastructure. All the above ground communication structures were destroyed. A 400 foot antenna fell in the intensity of the Hurricane Katrina winds. Communication with the Sheriff’s office and the public safety communication as destroyed. Almost 2 million phone lines were destroyed. (Information Today, 2006, p.1)

Hurricanes Katrina is a catastrophic natural disaster and a mortal hurricane. Being one of the five biggest hurricane no one could control communication, every device was under distraction. Hours after the hurricane Katrina the communication broke down because of the aftershock, and nobody was expecting hurricane Katrina to be that bad .It is mentioned that over 100 radio stations were destroyed and up to 2000 cell phones towers were forced off the air. The wire lines of network communication were strongly damaged as a result of the hurricane. Almost all phones were not on service. For that all communication was forced to be off just after the hurricane as most of the cities were covered with water.

Hurricane Katrina was a devastating disaster that has affected many people in New Orleans. The communication broke down hours after Katrina because of the unexpected fast winds and floods that broke down “3 million phone lines and 1,000 cellular towers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.”( Joch ). Because of the millions of phone lines that were broken down, contacting the government for help was difficult hours after hurricane Katrina. Not only that, the people of New Orleans underestimated the power of Hurricane Katrina causing many to be “ stranded with no food or water” (Narrator, “The Storm”,PBS).

During Katrina there were many times that the local, state, and federal governments did not cooperate effectively. For example, the governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco, addressed the issue her state faced and asked for “everything” the federal government had, as in disaster relief and aid, but the ambiguity of the statement caused the federal government to withhold resources until the governor addressed more specific needs. Issues such as these prevent the different levels of government from cooperating in an effective manner and demonstrate one of the most significant problems with federalism. Another example of how the different levels of government fail to cooperate effectively is a statement by William Lokey from the federal government’s disaster relief agency, FEMA. During an interview with the press, Lokey tells the governor and the entire nation that certain areas of Louisiana’s coasts are safe and that flood waters are receding. The statement made by Lokey misinformed the public and other levels of government, causing more confusion and hindering relief

Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes that hit America. Federalism played a major role in the rescue missions for this natural disasters. It’s evident that the government failed in many ways during Hurricane Katrina. Federalism plays a huge part in preparing for natural disasters. The powers were not equally shared within the levels of government, which made the local government weak and had to completely rely on the federal government. The government of U.S. was not prepared enough for hurricane Katrina.

In the Unites States of America Federalism is the basic structure of the American government; it is the distribution and balance of powers between the National government and the States government. In order to obtain a compromise between those who wanted stronger state government and those who preferred a stronger national government the founding fathers arranged and settled for a federal system rather than the alternatives of a unitary or confederal system. While both National and State governments each have specific powers and authority, they also share certain powers and must be able to cooperate effectively with each other.

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

The relationship between the federal government of the United States and the state and local governments is unique. This relationship in the modern age has become more interconnected and complicated than ever before. The weaknesses of American Federalism has never been as glaringly obvious as it was in the response by state, local and federal governments to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Failures by multiple elected officials and government agencies exacerbated an already dire situation by delaying much needed aid to the gulf region. This, combined with a fundamental misunderstanding of the physical geography of the region, led to policies that weakened the coastline and made New Orleans extremely susceptible to hurricane damage.

Federalism is a system of government that divides power between a national government and a regional government with the use of a constitution. Throughout the United States history, federalism has played a significant role in the constitution and the system of government adopted by the United States of America. Federalism has also changed throughout the course of America's history to fit the constitution and the government.

Federalism is a system of government in which powers are divided between a central (national) government and regional (state) governments. (pg. 4)The relationship between the state and federal governments is very complex. There are certain things that state governments can do that the federal government cannot do, and there are things that the federal government can do that the state governments cannot do. In the midst of it all, the complex situations between the state governments and the federal government can cause many conflicts throughout the country and it can make it difficult for some citizens to keep up with the constantly changing politics.