The Response Of Hurricane Katrina

This case summarizes events preceding the Hurricane Katrina, which was one of the worst natural catastrophes in the modern history of the USA. It raises questions about the lack of reasonable prevention and preparation actions due to flimsy structure and management of the responsible organizations and persons, invalidity and inconsistence of their actions and incapability of making the decisions in a timely manner. As a result of the unstructured and incoherent activities, we could observe several ineffective and costly attempts to mitigate floods and hurricanes. In the beginning the local officials, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and “White Houses past and present always seem penny-wise and pound-foolish” because of the chain of the wrong

How did history play a role in the mismanagement of the crisis in New Orleans?

On August 29th, 2005 Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic damage and flooding in Mississippi, Louisiana, New Orleans and areas in between. It destructed the lives and homes of thousands of people, with a total of 1,883 fatalities (Hurricane Katrina Statistics Fast Facts, 2015). Hurricane Katrina left many homeless and hospitals unprepared for the challenges posed to the healthcare system as a whole. Some of these challenges included gaining access to healthcare facilities, providing expedited care to those most in need, and preventing spread of disease that commonly occurs during natural disasters. Many facilities did not evacuate in time and many were left stranded in flooded waters as patients conditions worsened and access to essential medications and treatments became limited.

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.

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

Hurricane Katrina is a historical storm that hit the United States on August 29, 2005. The country experienced the storm exactly four years after the occurrence of the terrorist attack on 9/11/2001. This was three years after the establishment of a crucial department of Homeland Security. However, regardless of the intensified concentration to homeland security, response to Hurricane Katrina was a huge failure. The unfortunate response was due to lack of adequate planning and ability to take care of the risks. The possibility of New Orleans experiencing the effects of Hurricane had been put into consideration for quite a long time. There were enough warning signs of the hurricane. Declarations and deliberations were made days before the landfall. However, responders did not transfigure this information into the extent of preparedness suitable with the range of the imminent disaster.

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most and extraordinary disasters which rocked the part of New Orleans in the United States of America. The disaster left dozens of people dead, rendering thousands of them homeless. The public were shocked after the extreme hurricane because millions of dollars were recorded all as losses given that there was not enough money that for repairing all the damages. Hurricane Katrina had a great negative impact on the public health causing psychological trauma that resulted in a sizeable burden of different diseases. The data collected showed that several people were attacked with a cute stress disorder (ASD) among sheltered evacuees (Zimmermann, 2012). The paper will analyze the sources and impact of power and influence in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina including the impact of power and influence on public administration and public policy. In every government states, there must be set of measures that are taken to achieve the set objectives and public policies are renowned to be the government-driven course of actions. Every stakeholder get satisfied if only there are policies which are made that can integrate their input. The citizens are therefore important when involved in the policy making process and administration to shun conflicts. Failure to do so, the outcome often results to huge conflicts and misunderstandings because they may feel left out from the issues that affect them.

In my opinion, all three levels of government failed the people of New Orleans in responding to Hurricane Katrina. There was plenty of pushing the blame on one another that ended up delaying responses and finding results. It seemed like one level of government would try saying the other level of government is responsible for that role. For example, The Director of FEMA, Michael Brown would say that the local and state are in charge of evacuation planning. There is some truth to that, but according to the U.S federal law governing homeland security it states that FEMA, “operations to save lives, through evacuating potential victims.” (Producers, 2005).

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).

Hurricane Katrina was a big threat to the coastal areas of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and the governor declared a state of emergency in reaction towards potential destruction the hurricane may fall in New Orleans, a major city in Louisiana. To prepare for the threat of Hurricane Katrina, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), was sent to Louisiana to help aid the state. Later, a big disaster befalls in the state of Louisiana, and the governor declared a national evacuation. New Orleans, the heavily populated city, ordered its citizen to evacuate in the Superdome, with food, shelter, and rations being distributed. After the state evacuation was made, there was a shortage of food, water, and operable toilet facilities, thus creating

As the Gulf States begin the massive task of reconstruction after Hurricane Katrina, the nation is actively engaged in a dialogue concerning the lessons learned from this catastrophe, and the best options moving forward. Many are asking whether the aid package and policies proposed by President Bush are the right approach to rebuilding and restoring the region. While the hurricane shines a much needed spotlight on a number of societal issues, it is crucial that programs initiated in the storm¡¦s aftermath have the desired effect¡Xnot just regionally, but on a national scale. The devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina has raised other, more general public policy issues about emergency

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

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.

“Katrina was the most destructive storm to strike the United States and the costliest storm in U.S. history, causing $108 billion in damage, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Zimmerman 2015).” The federal government had no idea or information on how much destruction had been caused by the hurricane. Millions of americans were left homeless and an estimated amount of 1,833 people died from the hurricane and flooding that followed after the hurricane. Aid, that arrived to help after the damage had been done, was late and had little to no effect on the people who survived Hurricane Katrina (Zimmerman 2015). The impact of Hurricane Katrina was negative environmentally, socially, economically, and politically not only on New Orleans and the surrounding states but on all of the United States. The hurricane could not have been avoided but the recovery efforts could have been more effective if the federal, state, and local officials stopped putting the blame onto one another (Zimmerman 2015).

There were several issues that played a part in the disaster of New Orleans afte Hurricane Katrina had struck. Due to neglence of the five agencies ( that were responsible for designing, building, and maintaining the New Orleans Hurricane Protection System led to insuffiecent preparation. Even after declaring a state of emergency, lack of coordinating between Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) resulted in a poor response to help render aid and deliver supplies to the people of New Orleans. There are many stakeholders involved in this catastrophe. To name a few: Residents of New Orleans, businesses, engineers, and schools. Indirect stakeholders would involve groups like FEMA , Emergency Responders, and government (local, state, federal) levels. Residents of New Orleans experienced the brunt of Hurricane Katrina when the levees had been breached. Due to New Orleans being below sea leavel, flooding was eminent. The residents who had evacuated were forced to leave everything behind to escape the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. They were forced to high grounds in Baton Rouge and travelled as far as Houston, Tx. Others who had made the decision to stay were forced to their rooftops to avoid high waters. Unfortunately, this storm claimed 1500 people. Enginners were directly involved because their design and repairs failed to meet the requirements to ensure the durability of the Hurricane protection system. Schools were rebuilt but