The Department of Homeland Security - Assignment Example

First, the DHS can effectively focus on all hazards by ensuring that the department has adequate experienced and well-trained staff members. As noted in the report on the Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina (2006), the DHS demonstrated a lack of energy and professionalism to deal with such disasters. Secondly, since the department is faced with the challenge of shrinking resources, taking an all-hazards approach will help address this problem. Although critics of the all-hazards approach have pointed to resource availability as a major restraining factor, a closer analysis reveals the opposite.

This is because a single comprehensive program for responding to all types of disasters will be developed as opposed to having separate capabilities for the different disasters (Canada, 2003). Such a unified approach will help eliminate bureaucracy, and ensure that all relevant bodies across all the states work in harmony. This is well captured in the DHS’s 2012 strategic plan where it is recommended that an integrated approach to disaster management should be adopted. This can be effectively achieved through the sharing of information with federal, state and local partners, including the private sector as well as international partners.