It is obvious that there was poor command of the catastrophic event due to breakdown both in communication and coordination (Grant, Miki & Brooke, 2005). Lack of understanding also interfered with command and control during the recovery process. in the same vein, poor understanding of the drafted plan led to disorderly response whereby resources at all levels namely the Federal, State and local were poorly marshaled. This was aggravated by the dysfunctional state of the local government. In addition, the resources availed by the Federal government were not adequate (Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, 2006). Nonetheless, the demanding needs of Hurricane Katrina surpassed the level of preparation of these two agencies. These localized coordination structures were further given a facelift by the National Incident Management System as well as the National Response Plan. The Federal government played its role of coordinating resources that would be needed by both the local and state governments. Although standard operating procedures are critical for alleviating confusion when responding to emergencies, this element was the origin of a “red tape” during Hurricane Katrina. Nonetheless, it later became evident that the key players in disaster management such as administrators and politicians were not acquainted with the plan. Before the onset of the hurricane, there was an emergency response plan readily in place. Further, there were voluntary agencies as well as non-governmental organisations that offered invaluable help in responding to the disaster and recovery process (Brunsma, Overfelt & Picou, 2007).ĭisaster preparedness is usually the initial step towards planning for a calamity. On the other hand, the military are usually ready to deal with natural disasters by assisting in the evacuation process. Moreover, the government had already put in place critical elements of the National Response Plan although the execution of the very elements delayed. However, these structures were not strong enough to wither the strong storm. In addition, Levees had already been built in New Orleans as part of protecting the area against such disasters. These officials failed to take sufficient action on the forthcoming disaster. Unfortunately, the warnings were not heeded by government officials. Similar to all the prior natural calamities that have ever struck US, early warning signs were released as part of the initial plans to tackle the natural disaster. The report confirmed that “these failures were not just conspicuous they were pervasive” (Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, 2006). Another report by the Senate noted that the victims suffered for a longer period than necessary due to delay. Hurricane Katrina is one of the worst natural disasters ever witnessed in the history of United States owing to heavy loss in life and property.Ī White House report on the response to the hurricane pointed a blaming finger on all levels of the government since there was lack of coordination. Nonetheless, the response level of hurricane Katrina was deemed as a big failure as documented in myriad of Congressional reports released later.įor example, a report by the House Select Committee in 2006 summarized the response to the hurricane as having lacked initiative right from the state to federal government level. In fact, the creation of the National Response plan was aimed at setting the right platform for dealing with emergency disasters in future, whether artificial or natural catastrophes.
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