Hurricane Katrina - Essay Example

Hurrаiсаnе Kаtrinа Student’s Name Affiliation Date Hurrаiсаnе Kаtrinа Introduction In the late of summer 2005, many people watched the Hurricane Katrina satellite images as the Katrina moved through the Mexican gulf and menacing the swells of water towards the American coastline. The civilian population watched as the hurricane Katrina menacingly devoured the people in sections of Louisiana Mississippi and Alabama. Hundreds of people both women and children died in the floods while others died in the nursing homes indicating the ruthlessness of flood death. The occurrence of the Katrina makes it a disaster and under no circumstances should that situation find people unawares in the future. It is paramount for the government to take Hurricane Katrina as an epidemic that should be under the emergency control centers. There are various ways the government can do to ensure that the impact of the Katrina is minimal even if it happens to occur in normal circumstances. Control a measures and proactive actions will ensure that the Katrina will come but it will have a lesser impact than if it finds people unawares. Therefore, control measures are paramount in ensuring that such emergency will not have heavy impact on the people (Abkowitz, 2008). The actions of the U.S guard coasts and local responders have been good examples of patriotic Americans because they will risk their lives to save the people in the tragedy. The relevant rescue teams and government wings indicated high level of negligence because they did not provide sufficient support to the people who required the services (Daniels, 2007).This has made the entire task difficult to the extent lives were lost in restorable situations. Moreover, research indicates that there were thousands who died in rooftops, nursing homes and stadiums waiting for relevant support and rescue but that did not happen at all. This is an indication that the government and relevant authorities do not have stipulated emergency plan actions for the purpose of rescuing people in times of crisis. It’s paramount for organizations and other related groups to ensure that they formulate approaches and proactive methods that will ensure that emergency actions are in place in the future (Senate, 2006). The question of negligence and irresponsibility in the government is beyond recognition because the government was aware that the Katrina was coming but they did not give enough proactive measures. Loss of lives and property came at a time when people knew that the worst would happen. They did not view it as a serious tragedy because if they would have done that, it would be impossible for them to allow such many lives to get lost. Therefore, it is more than evident that the government has never been serious when it comes to emergency response and proactive measures. Appropriate proactive measures would have saved many people that died during the 2005 hurricane Katrina is sections of Alabama and Louisiana. According to (Townsend, 2006) hurricane Katrina is an extra ordinary action of nature that contributed the greatest human tragedy that ever existed in the human history. It was the most destructive natural disaster that ever occurred in the American history. The damage was intensive to an extent that 90,000 squares miles of land ended up being in waste. In the sections of Mississippi storm surges obliterated the communities that live in the coast leaving thousands of people as destitute. The residents of New Orleans got extensive overwhelm of the flood and approximately more than 1500 people died during the storm. Along the lines of the Gulf coast more than ten thousands of people eventually suffered and left without basic commodities and essentials for more than one week. People suffered longer than they ought to have suffered because the government was reluctant and slow in delivering the required services hence exacerbating the situation even more. The failures were not only conspicuous, they were pervasive and they contributed to utter failure and destruction of properties. The long term warnings that the government ignored paved way for the pervasive destruction that utterly destroyed the people. The entire blame falls on the government for failure to take appropriate actions and making poor decision that does not meet the threshold that would overcome such situation and related challenges. Individual failures that occur against backdrop of failure over given time normally develop the capacity for effective co-ordination as well as national response to truly catastrophic events caused by man or nature (Canton, 2007).  An effective response to emergencies that affect many people is a critical role that government should take into account. It requires unusual levels of planning that will ensure that dispatch and co-ordination and efficiency is at par with other levels of intensive planning. An effective response to mass emergencies is a critical and crucial role in every level of government. It is a role that requires intricate planning to ensure that no life gets lost in the course of the disaster (Daniels, 2007).The committee that began the investigations and preparation and response for Hurricane Katrina within a period of two weeks of the landfall of the Hurricane but they did not do significant job for that matter. Tragic loss of lives in the Katrina has been sufficient in themselves to compel the attention of the committee. The conspicuous failures in government and emergency preparedness as well as response has added the need and urgency to carry out investigation not only because heightened awareness in the national but to ensure that such occurrences will not lead to destruction of life and property(Canton,2007).  The response of the government towards the case of Katrina is clear indication that it is paramount to delineate the roles of government entities and leadership framework under operation. Every government and the various departments and components within that level must play critical roles to ensure that the government is able to overcome such disasters upon arising. The government has chief responsibility to ensure that the ultimate responsibility of emergency action plan is possible. The local or state government has mandate to provide relevant support to the system to ensure that lives and property is safe. Destruction of life and property is an economic pitfall that impoverishes people and the state at large. Therefore, it is crucial for the governments; federal and state governments to ensure that they follow the safety principles appropriately for the purpose safeguarding life. While the federal government provides financial support, the state government provides workforce and first aid teams. The approach of the issue as a collective responsibility makes it possible for them to counter the disaster even if it happens to appear (Canton, 2007). In as much as the government of United States experienced the worst situation in September 11 2001, the federal government have realized some additional measures that are paramount to facilitate effectiveness and ensure co-ordination of local and state governments. The national strategy for the Homeland Security gave President Bush an initiative to build a concrete national system that will facilitate incident management as well as integrating various federal response plans. The former President proposed that initiatives must exist in the yet proclaimed departments of homeland Security for they were the most effective at that time. Homeland security came in November 25 2002 to ensure deterrence of any disaster that would occur within the vicinity and jurisdiction. Furthermore, the state felt that the homeland security must be stronger and the president went ahead to issue a presidential directive that would strengthen the wing to ensure that such people would eventually intervene in case of disasters such as the Hurricane Katrina (Daniels, 2007).In as much as the government takes crucial steps, it becomes almost impossible for the such bodies and organization to effect enough and significant change the fact that leads to similar situation of inefficiency. Therefore, it is paramount for the government not only to make appointment and legalize bodies; it should also come up with productive strategies that will increase efficiency in the long run. For instance, the homeland security group should come up with articulate strategies that will help and facilitate effective disaster management whenever it appears (Senate, 2006). The hurricane Katrina impact in 2005 was very disastrous despite the previous engagements that took place in 2002 and 2003. (Koliba, C. J., Mills, R. M., & Zia, A. 2011).The September 11 attack brought issues to stand still in United States and lives were lost. The government vowed that it will formulate issues and methods that will work for the good of the country in case disaster appears. However, these bodies and organizations did not embrace the presupposed keenness and seriousness hence contributing to massive deaths. The event was remarkable and indication that disaster management should take another direction. The uncompromising harshness indicated that the government only made bodies that were not prepared to fight disasters. This is an indication that billions of money spent on the issue of homeland security was a waste of time and resources because they did not achieve the objective eventually (Senate, 2006). The homeland security worked on assumption that if an individual has to fight terrorism any other thing that might come in between also serves the same fate of terrorists. However, the government overlooked the fact that homeland security could not fight disasters like Hurricane Katrina and that assumption contributed to deaths of millions of people. The community level disaster management agents such as the Homeland security should have made it easier by incorporating federal hence making the entire exercise and swift to carry out (Abkowitz, 2008). Conclusion In summation, Co-ordination and command is paramount in the paramilitary wings and that was not made possible in homeland security making the entire rescue mission unsuccessful. Various agents such as Red Cross and Salvation Army normally work hand in hand to save lives but in the occasion it was not possible making the situation prone and susceptible. On the other hand it is not appropriate to shift the entire blame to the government because Hurricane Katrina is a dynamic occurrence that is difficult to predict. References Abkowitz, M. D. (2008). Operational risk management: A case study approach to effective planning and response. John Wiley & Sons. Daniels, R. S. (2007). Revitalizing Emergency Management after Katrina. Public Manager, 36(3), 16-20. Canton, L. G. (2007). Emergency management: concepts and strategies for effective programs. John Wiley & Sons. Koliba, C. J., Mills, R. M., & Zia, A. (2011). Accountability in Governance Networks: An Assessment of Public, Private, and Nonprofit Emergency Management Practices Following Hurricane Katrina. Public Administration Review, 71(2), 210-220. Senate, U. S. (2006). Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. 2006. Hurricane Katrina: A nation still unprepared. Townsend, F. F. (2006). The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned. Washington, DC: Office of the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. Retrieved February, 1, 2007. Read More