The Response to Hurricane Katrina
The response to Hurricane Katrina is widely regarded as a failure. This is because of the level of attention directed towards homeland security following the attacks of 9/11 and creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) instead. The government appeared seemingly unable to provide an apt response to the calamity, ultimately failing to offer basic protection to its citizens (Baggett & Simpkins, 2018). Overall, the response to the hurricane was set up with the goal of ensuring effective evacuation, delivery of materials, and the recovery of bodies. The federal response involved a failure to counteract the early warning signs. Most federal officials lacked the urgency required, choosing to treat the hurricane as a normal storm (Moynihan, 2009). They could not keep in touch with the media reports of the disaster and federal officials perhaps hesitated for too long awaiting aid requests from state and local authorities.
The National Incident Management System (NIMS)
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a systematic approach to incident management that is comprehensive on a national scale. This system requires that federal agencies use it for incident management while also supporting local governments. This because local governments offer initial disaster response and management when a natural calamity occurs. The private sector has an important role to play in ensuring communities undergo proper preparation for disasters (Baggett & Simpkins, 2018). The critical area with regard to disaster management is preparedness. With the right framework in place, preparedness initiatives help the community to learn and effectively use techniques that will ensure they survive during a crisis (Haddow & Bullock, 2017). This leads to better co-ordination during the disaster to avoid the confusion, mayhem, and panic that surrounds a natural calamity and involves the use of repeated training and corrective actions to equip communities with the right tools in case of a disaster.
References
Baggett, R. K., " Simpkins, B. K. (2018). Homeland security and critical infrastructure protection. ABC-CLIO.
Haddow, G., Bullock, J., " Coppola, D. P. (2017). Introduction to emergency management. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Moynihan, D. P. (2009). The response to hurricane Katrina. International Risk Governance Council, Geneva, Switzerland.
