Planning Across Levels of Government: Federalism and the Planning for the Response to Emergencies
This paper will be in the form of a governmental response plan to the natural disaster: Hurricane Katrina.
Early morning, on the 29th of August, 2005, USA's Gulf Coast was hit by the Hurricane Katrina. When it reached land, it was identified as having "Category 3" intensity, on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, bringing continuous winds of speeds between 100 and 140 miles/hour and stretching across for about 400 miles (Hurricane Katrina - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com, n.d). While the storm was damaging enough by itself, the aftermath was utterly devastating. Firstly, massive flooding resulted from levee breaches. Furthermore, a large number of individuals claimed that the government didn't respond in a timely manner to take care of victims' needs. Several thousands of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi inhabitants suffered displacement from home. It has been estimated by experts that the hurricane cost over 100 billion dollars in damage.
Several individuals and groups committed heroic deeds in their rescue and relief operations following the hurricane. For instance, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued about 34,000 New Orleans residents alone; numerous civilians provided shelter and food to victims, commandeered boats, and did their utmost to aid their neighbors. Still, the government -- especially on the federal level - appeared to be unready to deal with the catastrophe. FEMA or Federal Emergency Management Agency wasted days in their attempt to set up their New Orleans operations; even after all that time, they appeared to have a weak action plan (Hurricane Katrina - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com, n.d). Governmental officials, including the then-President, Bush, appeared to have no knowledge of the exact extent of damage and devastation plaguing New Orleans as well as other Katrina-struck regions: they appeared to have no information regarding the number of missing or stranded individuals; the number of organizations and homes that suffered losses due to the hurricane; and the amount of water, food, and other supplies required. Katrina wreaked total disaster, according to one reporter, who also stated that suffering individuals were becoming totally desperate. The disaster, which covered about 90000 sq. miles of America, had an overall death toll of about two thousand, with several hundred thousand survivors scattered all over the place. At present, after more than a decade of efforts into recovery and reconstruction, the Gulf Coast residents have made enormous strides in reverting to routine life, even while continuing their rebuilding efforts.
How Issue Affects Organization
Floodwaters and the storm surge linked to the hurricane got through floodwalls and levees, costing several billion dollars of damage to property, and over 1,300 casualties. Under the authority of the U.S. Comptroller General, to appraise his own program, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessed the following aspects of the USACE (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers): (1) its progress in mending the damage to initiatives for protection from hurricanes by the 1st of June, 2006; (2) strategies and projected costs of other repair works and the completion of 5 current hurricane protection ventures; and (3) strategies and projected cost of enhancing and strengthening regional hurricane protection (U.S. GAO - Hurricane Katrina: Strategic Planning Needed to Guide Future Enhancements Beyond Interim Levee Repairs, n.d). The government accountability office evaluated relevant policies and rules, USACE plans and repair works tracking reports; organized meetings with stakeholders, including important agency officers; and supervised ongoing repair efforts.
In the disaster's aftermath, the USACE was quick in its repair and restoration efforts, covering damaged flood control infrastructure (including floodwalls and levees) up to nearly 169 miles, and bringing them to pre-Hurricane Katrina protection levels. It built temporary gates on 3 canals for saving New Orleans from being flooded by storm surges. When the completion of one of the canal gates didn't go according to schedule (i.e., before 1st of June, 2006), the USACE formulated an emergency approach of driving sheet piling and closing off the canal for protecting against hurricanes until the gate's completion. More notably, as these early repair works were only done on floodwalls and levees that showed apparent visual ruin, it is still not known how reliable the others are (U.S. GAO - Hurricane Katrina: Strategic Planning Needed to Guide Future Enhancements Beyond Interim Levee Repairs, n.d). Initially, the USACE allotted 801 million dollars for preliminary repair works, but subsequently, this figure rose to more than a billion dollars. Following the first phase of repairs, the USACE intends to engage in additional construction and repair works on the current system of hurricane protection, including (1) fixing every damaged pumping station, pump, and motor by somewhere around March of 2007; (2) completing incomplete parts of % earlier-sanctioned flood control and hurricane protection ventured by September of 2007; and (3) renovating parts of ongoing ventures...
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