KAT: Recovery Case Study

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On August 29th, 2005 a devastating storm made landfall impacting the coastline states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. This multijurisdictional/ multiagency incident shaped the future of emergency response, recovery, and preparedness efforts on the local, state, and federal levels. Communities were left with devastation that would take years to recover from, requiring assistance from social service networks such as Katrina Aid Today, KAT. KAT established a consortium, as a multi-organization/ multi-state coordinated recovery intervention and case management services program (Janis, A., Stiefel, K. M., & Carbullido, C. C. 2010. pg 66) that utilized skilled workers to assist individuals and families in the recovery process. This program not only had continued benefits in the recovery process but also played a role in shaping future disaster case management and monitoring/ evaluation programs. …show more content…

Although KAT served as a baseline for future operations, special considerations should always be maintained in the planning process. Problems may arise at any time and may contribute to the accrual of unanticipated costs/ issues. Therefore, it is important to consider the potential for operational issues, while also being mindful that each hazard and incident are different. Benefit-cost ratios will vary significantly across hazards (Rose, A., Porter, K., & Dash, N. 2007. pg 105) and with the unpredictable environment of assisting in the recovery of clients, measurable recovery benchmarks may also become limited. (Janis, A., Stiefel, K. M., & Carbullido, C. C. 2010. pg