The Katrina response and relief efforts - Essay Example

1)Review the various reports concerning the Katrina response and relief efforts. Identify an example of a relief effort, which was successful, and one, which was unsuccessful. Hurricane Katrina was a disaster waiting to happen but it was not entirely unexpected. In several documents uncovered during the investigation, it was found that there were scenarios being modelled when a certain theoretical Katrina-like 'Hurricane Pam' swept through New Orleans. Hurricane Camille which battered Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama already demonstrated the vulnerability as did the documentary made by the National Geographic in October 2004 and Scientific American in 2001. What is profound is that when we review other articles, we find one common thread and that is the fact that the disaster was expected though many people did not give enough attention to what mechanisms should be installed. The result was the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Nonetheless, one thing is absolutely clear and that is the fact that the disaster was the result of a series of mistakes culminating in a catastrophic event that virtually received minimal leadership from the city, state and the Federal government at the most crucial initial hours. (Purdum, 2006) In my review of several articles, I found one organization which acted more satisfactorily and more effectively than other agencies. A semblance of normalcy or at least a spark of hope only came when the United States military finally stepped in. The Department of Defense was able to mobilize and deploy 72,000 troops in such a short time and as soon as orders were given. They were actually prepared for a response to this particular disaster prior to the hurricane making contact with land. Particularly effective is the US Coast Guard which proved themselves fully equipped in conducting search & rescue operations. Ground troops assisted local police officers who did not abandon their posts minimized looting by establishing a semblance of law and order. They also minimized the need for 'looting' by evacuating people in an organized manner to shelters where they will receive food and shelter. With hindsight being 20-20, the federal government should have already made the paper works for the activation and deployment of the Louisiana and other adjacent National Guards. There are several cases illustrating failure to respond effectively to mitigate the damages to life and limb of Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans was poverty stricken and at least 120,000 people where without mobility. The mandatory evacuation issued on August 28 by the local officials also made no provisions for helping in evacuating the homeless, sick, carless, elderly, infirm and low-income residents. New Orleans disaster plan called for the mayor to make use of the city school buses to evacuate residents unable to leave on their own but the city never deployed the buses and was subsequently destroyed in the flooding. Amtrak also ran a special schedule to move equipment out of the city but the government declined to take the offer of this agency to take several hundred passengers instead of the scheduled equipment. Evacuees were sent to Louisiana Superdome but the large multitude of refugees was more than overwhelming to volunteers. There were not enough provisions for food, clothing and medicine. While the Federal Emergency Management Agency did indeed provide supplies, the unexpected number of evacuees rapidly depleted the provisions. (Nates & Moyer, 2005) There was visibly an ineffective mechanism in coordinating and managing the evacuation process as the governing agencies failed to respond and implement the provisions in the disaster plan that was available to them. 2)Discuss the reasons why the examples you cited above were or were not successful. Comment specifically on whether you believe that the organizational structure at the City of New Orleans, State of Louisiana, and the Federal government was adequate, including communications, command, and control. (Please refer to the Organization Structure for incident management in the National Response Plan.) Focus on how coordinating structures, processes, and protocols were employed to manage the disaster response. The initial response by the city of New Orleans, State of Louisiana, and the Federal government can be described as unnecessarily delayed, inadequate and involved too much bureaucracy. While the communities directly hit Katrina were grappling with the lost of their homes and loved ones, the government officials took too much determining who is responsible and what actions is one permitted legally to take. The National Response Plan within the United States indicates that response and planning are first and foremost the responsibility of the local government. When local resources prove to be inefficient in addressing the gravity of the situation, they are entitled to proceed and request assistance from the state to the federal government. Remarkably, many local government personnel abandoned their posts once the news of the levee breakage came in. They fled to save themselves and their own families. The theoretical organizational command and control structure can be considered as adequate but the problem was that there were no adequate personnel present during the critical period. Compounding the problem is the fact that the person responsible for leading the disaster relief, Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans, Governor Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana, and FEMA director Michael Brown were all inadequately equipped with the necessary knowledge and experience in disaster management. Mayor Nagin failed to foresee the behavior of any people when their family is extremely endangered. Many local enforcers instinctively proceeded to save their families and loved ones. Seeing the rapidly deteriorating situation and the abandonment of many local posts, Mayor Nagin called for the help of Louisiana Governor Blanco. The said official proved to be incompetent in managing the situation. She had all of the Louisiana National Guard under her command due to Louisiana being a federalized state. Mayor Nagin was documented to have pleaded to the governor to send help but she replied that she needed a full 24 hours to assess the situation and make a decision. When Governor Blanco finally sent help, it was inadequate to address the rampant commission of crime and looting. It took her another two days to relay and process a plea for help to the National Guard Bureau to obtain National Guards from other states. She could have formed a compact with other states thereby legally bypassing the National Guard Bureau and helped her get more National Guards like a full division Mississippi already had for its relief efforts. Governor Blanco proved to be too much cautious and rather ill-equipped of the methods and options available to her in case of disasters. FEMA Director Michael Brown was another ill-experience disaster manager as he did not have any prior experience resembling the magnitude of the disaster before handling the situation. He gave instructions for FEMA officers to make sure that all help such as fire and emergency services, non-government organization volunteers and other private assistance were to have authorization from the FEMA first to avoid any legal liabilities. Thus, helicopters helping in the evacuation were forced to stop, private supplies confiscated and skilled volunteers forced to do documentary and housekeeping work. (Laska, 2004) Far from these three incapable leaders, Vice Admiral Thad Allen of the United States Coast Guard handled the situation like a professional. Within hours from commissioning, troopers were on the streets restoring peace and order. Helicopters were up in the air conducting search and rescue operations. Food and supplies were also being flown in by the bulk especially to the Superdome. The Department of Defense efforts were effective not only due to planning and a strict command and control system but also with the presence of a highly able disaster management trained professional. They were able to establish a unified command and control structure not like the loose coordination between local politicians. The revised version of the national response plan currently known as the National Response Framework (NRF) calls for the creation of this system that can be utilized in any size disaster. Katrina forced the leaders look outside their myopic and severely politically ridden points of view and figure out what went right, what went wrong, and how to fix the situation. (Department of Homeland Defense, 2008) 3)Discuss the importance of social networks during the Katrina Disaster Hurricane Katrina revealed several interesting individual and community behavior during and after the occurrence of disasters. While many articles were concerned on race and looting issues, it was found that social networks play an important role during the fight to survive the disaster. According to a combined study from the University of Alabama and University of California, it was found that decision making processes are greatly influenced by social networking. In a survey of 116 evacuees, it was found that it was the social networks that greatly influenced the respondent's evacuation and planning activities. (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005) The role of the media was found to be less important as what many people perceive. Interviewed evacuees state that they became more aware of the severity of the situation as word spread through their social circles. Friends, classmates, neighbors and other acquaintances who gave them information enabled them to prepare more than what they would have from the information they get from radio and television. This is contrary to the pervading notion that people would be wary of deciding on information provided from other people who are also experiencing the same situation. Social networks also became important in light of the fact that cell phones and other communication devices were rendered unusable. It was also reported that seeing someone sharing the same unfortunate state and having a mutual relationship lessens the panic and confusion one would normally have if one is alone. There is someone to talk to, share information, formulate evacuation plans and provide comfort. People are less prone in using instincts when alone and more prepared to think critically when they have someone to discuss it with. (Quarantelli, 2005) WORKS CITED: 1.) Department of Homeland Security (2008) National Response Framework. Retrieved July 22, 2009 from http://www.fema.gov/NRF 2.) Kaiser Family Foundation (2005). Survey of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Menlo Park, CA: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. 3.) Laska, Shirley (2004). What if Hurricane Katrina had not missed New Orleans Natural Hazards Observer 30(2): 5-6. 4.) Nates, J. &Moyer, V. (2005). Lessons from Hurricane Katrina, tsunamis, and other disasters.The Lancet,366(9492),1144-6. Retrieved November 30, 2008, from Research Librarydatabase. 5.) Purdum, Todd S.(2006) "Across U.S., Outrage at Response." New York Times. September 3, 2005. Retrieved on July 22, 2009. 6.) Quarantelli, Enrico. (2005). Catastrophes are different from disasters: Some implications for crisis planning and managing drawn from Katrina. Retrieved July 22, 2009 from http://understandingkatrina.ssrc.org/Quarantelli/ Read More