FEMA Leadership and Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina has been characterized as one of the most damaging storms to assault the United States. Approximately 1800 people were killed, hundreds of thousands of people were forced into homelessness, and the cost inflicted approximately $100 billion in damages (“Hurricane Katrina,” 2016). The catastrophic results led to vast criticism of various leadership efforts throughout the disaster response. One agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was extensively condemned as many of the leadership decisions resulted in massive blunders, costing further harm and loss of life. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of FEMA during Hurricane Katrina in respect to leadership decisions …show more content…
The author states the descriptive approach emphasizes strategy substance, focusing more on the decision made than on the method used for making the decision as well as aiming to learn from the whole experience. In contrast to a prescriptive approach, the descriptive model takes into account a fluid environment and favors spontaneity (Sarfin, n.d.). Inadequacies in FEMA’s plans to address concerns spontaneously led to further loss and injury during Hurricane Katrina. Walker (2006) points out disaster management agencies must be able to comprehend the need for flexibility in the face of a calamitous disaster, allowing for the agency to achieve rapid response and recovery goals. In addition, the layers of bureaucracy impeded a successful response. Sobel and Leeson (2006) write too much government supervision, excessive numbers of individuals involved in decision making, and intersecting layers of obstructive powers contributed to problems encountered during Hurricane Katrina efforts. In fact, those agencies, like the United States Coast Guard, who chose to take action without garnering permission, were highly successful in meeting victim’s needs (Sobel & Leeson, …show more content…
This type of decision making model embodies personal interests and goals. However, bounded rational thinking has several deficiencies. For instance, decisions intend to achieve satisfaction rather than making the most of the decision outcome (Fleming, 1966). The author also points out bounded rational attempts to develop alternatives cease when an acceptable solution is found, causing subsequent actions to be based on incomplete information and personal preferences. Therefore, the decision maker restricts the number of identified potential solutions (Fleming,
There became an obvious need for immediate assistance from the National Guard and the Active Duty Army to stop looters, crime, and other chaos that ensued shortly after the flood. Gaining assistance from state controlled National Guard units was not overly difficult. Unfortunately, use of Federal soldiers comes with the stipulation that “the Governor of the affected state must request use of the resources of the DoD”. (Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance) The Governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco and her staff were already failing to control and lead emergency efforts.
(Hurricane Katrina: A Man-Made Crisis?). Additionally, as their economical situation is inferior, it was harder for them to flee the flooding. Therefore, it was mainly this class which was affected and the government was not rushing to help. The slow reaction and the negligence of the government had a major influence on the effects of the storm. If their response was quicker or their preventative measures stronger, the effects could have been reduced as more people could have been evacuated, lives would have been saved and the damage would have been reduced due to extra protection.
The disaster of hurricane Katrina identified so many flaws in FEMA. Some of these flaws were due to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 deviated a lot of money from FEMA and weakened its ability to respond adequately to the disaster of Katrina. As you stated this bought on many changes to FEMA, which were now being addressed under the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (PKEMRA).
Reduce the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and key resources, essential leadership, and major events to terrorist attacks and other hazards. Provide grants, plans and training to our homeland security and law enforcement partners. We have taken significant steps to create a unified and integrated Department that will enhance our performance by focusing on accountability, efficiency, transparency and leadership development. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was the final weak link in the then-existing confusing chain of command. FEMA 's head, Wallace E. Stickney, had no apparent experience in emergency management or disaster response (Franklin, D. 1995).
Reconstructing New Orleans after the hurricane Katrina is one of the most involving city-rebuilding projects that have been taken on in US history. The challenges in reconstruction and recreation of what used to be is the aspect of having to decide and agree on which areas should be rebuild first. The federal and state government have received different opinions on what should be done on different areas. For example, suggestions to utilize a 150-acre piece of land in New Orleans for an amusement park or use it to create a retail mall are some of the conflicting suggestions that have come up. Much of the land has been controlled by the city since the rebuilding efforts in 2009.
It was 6:10 in the morning August 28 2005 and New Orleans had just been struck. Homes were being demolished, people were screaming, innocent people were getting killed from the result of the storm surge. . To this day there are 705 people still missing. While people are living there normal lives, they have not yet to know that in the middle of the Atlantic warm air is rising and it is getting replaced by the cooler air. the Not to forget, the hurricane affected their economy because of $81 billion dollars of property damage.
When exploring open roles with FEMA, I noticed many of them to be paid government positions with a suite of benefits. On the other hand, the Red Cross not only has local chapters in each US state, but they are also present in almost 200 countries. The Red Cross also claim that “90% of the Red Cross workforce are volunteers.” (redcross.org) I analyzed this information to represent the very grassroots structure of the Red Cross across the world. People within communities helping their
This news article implies that FEMA should be disbanded. The author states that when the federal government gets involved in natural disasters, especially hurricanes, more harm may be caused than good. The federal government has been involved in responses at a much higher rate than in the past due to an increase in declared federal disasters averaging 139 a year. There are an abundance of federal guidelines that must be followed when a disaster occurs that often makes it difficult for officials to make clear and concise decisions. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina FEMA spent an excess of money that was not allocated correctly so much of the money was wasted.
More and more authorities continue to be taken away and have been spread across many agencies within DHS. “FEMA no longer manages a comprehensive emergency management program of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery and the agency function that President Carter and the Governors envisioned in 1979 no longer exists” (FEMA, 2013). The sole focus has turned to terrorism disaster preparedness and FEMA has become somewhat dismantled and lost its ability to provide the command and control that it had prior to the move to DHS. This will prove to be a major flaw and will again, show the failure of FEMA in the next occurrence of natural disaster the United States faces. There are other agencies within the DHS that need to be scrutinized as
New Orleans, a flourishing city sitting on the Gulf coast. The city thrived with life. But, on the morning of August 29th,2005 everything changed. Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the gulf coast.
In the spring season of 1719, New Orleans floods and the building of levees begins and continues for three centuries, which is an example of the several times history has repeated itself. Although there are many positive attributes of the city, New Orleans has persevered through some of the most devastating natural disasters in the past century. The city of New Orleans was originally founded by Jean- Baptiste Le Moyne in 1717. His chief engineers informed him that the location was not an ideal place for a city because it was located along the Mississippi River, which was known to be prone to flooding.
More than 3,600 homes were destroyed on Galveston Island and the added toll on commercial structures created a loss of $30 million, about $700 million in today 's dollars.” While the storm was extreme, so was the response of the survivors. Despite the unimaginable devastation the survivors faced, they immediately began rebuilding their city. By 10 a.m. Sept. 9 the Mayor of Galveston, Walter C. Jones had called an emergency city council meeting, and by the end of the day had appointed a Central Relief Committee. The newspaper even continued to publish from Galveston and never missed an issue.
The Stafford Act was enacted in 1988 and determines how and when the federal government is allowed to intervene in a natural disaster. It also defines the type of assistance to be provided as well as the distribution of funds among the federal, state and local governments. FEMA is responsible for coordinating the assistance identified in the Stafford Act. However, FEMA has to answer to the Secretary of Homeland Security rather than making their own decisions. The authors describe how our current governmental system isn’t well equipped to deal with major devastation such as Hurricane Katrina.
When responding to natural disasters, a servant leader must possess all of these qualities to be effective. Natural disasters can happen at any time with or without warning. Hurricane Katrina was a disastrous event in which leaders faced ethical challenges
FEMA’s mission and priorities were changed so that, “terrorism prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery became central to the emergency management mission” (Haddow 325). As a result of the terrorist attacks on 9/11 the country’s focus shifted completely from natural disasters to an outright major assault on all things terrorism with no second glance at the potential emergency’s natural disasters presented. There might be a possibility that because of the nation’s extreme obsession with terrorists and terrorism that Hurricane Katrina was not given full priority nor given as much thought as it should have been because the whole focus of the government was on terrorism. When an agency and governmental structure, such as the defense agencies, undergoes an extreme shift within the course of a few years brought on so suddenly, there are bound to be weaknesses. Hurricane Katrina was the most challenging threat that tested the DHS as well as FEMA’s preparation and mitigation of natural disasters since the shift of focus.