Introduction
Hurricane Katrina is categorized as one of the most five deadliest and destructive hurricanes to have struck the American people. Its effects were much felt in the coastlines of Mississippi, Louisiana, New Orleans and Alabama. The cyclone brought a wave of destruction, loss of life and massive replacement of American citizens when it struck in late August 2005 (Marable & Clarke, 2016) . It is being estimated that close 1800 people lost their lives and more than one billion American dollars' worth of property was destroyed.
Flood waters submerged buildings, roads and swept anything that was in its way, including cars and people. In the wake of the hurricane, individuals in the affected areas showed some act of patriotism and heroism, as ordinary American citizens offered food and shelter to neighbors affected by the crisis. The level of destruction witnessed and the number of lives lost is a clear indicator that the federal government and local authorities were unprepared to mitigate the effects of the disaster when it happened. The federal government disaster management agencies like, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were sluggish in their response to the Hurricane Katrina and seemed to lack established plan of actions to deal with the aftermath of the hurricane. People in disaster-struck zones were in need of help such as; the need for food, clean water for drinking and medical services which they could not get promptly from the federal government officials, because they were unaware of the gravity of the disaster and how bad things were in the affected areas .
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Even though the federal administration tried its level best in handling Hurricane Katrina, their response and effort were not enough because irreparable damage had already been done. Desperation among victims of the disaster was evidenced more in New Orleans where many refugees were left stranded because National Guards could not accommodate additional people at Superdome stadium because it was fully packed and overcrowded. Lack of access to safer accommodation forced New Orleans climbed on their roof tops and trees to avoid being swept by water torrent. America has been hit by other hurricanes (such as hurricane Dennis in 2004) whose aftermath have been disastrous in the past. The federal government ineffective ways of handling disasters should act as a wakeup call to involve and offer funding support to civil authorities such as Red Cross to help in its disaster management procedures.
Various Ways the Defense Department can offer Support to Civil Authorities
Though the defense department through its army played a major role in helping the victims of hurricane Katrina, their response to the disaster was not rapid, and led to more property destruction and loss of life than expected. Before the army responds to any disaster, the defense department seeks approval from federal agencies such as the Pentagon which takes days to develop procedures which would provide a desirable action to take to help disaster victims (Tkacz, 2006) . Federal administrations usually consider legal and political risks before deploying active-duty troops such as the joint task force in disaster-prone areas. The disadvantage of weighing political options before acting to problems drags rescue missions thus leading to loss of property and lives. Civil authorities tend to be responsive and offer rapid response to the disaster, and many deaths could have been prevented if they had adequate support from the defense department. Lots of stranded individuals in New Orleans who could not get accommodated at Superdome (National Guard headquarters) could have received better accommodation from civil groups and authorities who usually build tents as a shelter for people.
The defense department is not able to help all disaster victims on its own. When a disaster such as Hurricane Katrina strikes, a situation of panic and distress usually takes the place of reason in peoples' mind, thus making it difficult for regular relief system procedures to offer much-needed help during disasters (Noel, 2014). As evidenced in New Orleans, the limited supply of food made victims of hurricane Katrina break in food stores such as the Ernest N. Memorial Convention Centre in such of food. Individuals looted electronics, food, clothing and even guns. Looting of food stores caused a sense of insecurity in the area which could be averted if civil authorities had the permission from the federal government to offer relief food to disaster victims of hurricane Katrina. The state of insecurity in New Orleans prompted the city Mayor to stop search and rescue mission to victims of hurricane Katrina and ordered the police to revert to ordinary duties of maintaining law and order. With rescuing of storm victims coming to a halt, people in New Orleans were helpless, and most of them lost their lives. When civil authorities receive support and backing up from the federal government, they work round the clock to ensure every individual in the disaster zone is secure and safe.
In the wake of hurricane Katrina, communication and logistical problems stemmed from causing delays in delivering of food supplies and medical supplies to victims. The hurricane destroyed communication networks which made it difficult for the defense department to ascertain the actual impact of the storm. It took the National Coast Guards two days to move to their Superdome headquarters in New Orleans for them to offer any form of assistance to hurricane Katrina victims. In New Orleans, close to five hundred thousand people could not access a car when hurricane Katrina hit, which made it impossible for people to flee to safety thus rendering them helpless and at the mercy of God. Civil groups which are usually situated within the communities are familiar with the needs of individual community needs making it easy for them to maneuver around in transporting people to safety before help from the defense department arrives.
The defense department can offer disaster-related training to civil authorities to make them ready in times of crisis. Training on how to perform first aid and minor medical surgeries on cuts could be handy when people are hit by disasters. Flood water from hurricane Katrina contained sewage matter exposing victims to waterborne diseases such as typhoid and cholera. To reduce the loss of lives due to exposure to these diseases, immediate and swift vaccination needed to be carried out to protect the health of disaster victims. With the acquired training on handling health matters and illnesses, civil authority's contribution in offering medical assistance would have ensured that further deaths resulting from waterborne diseases are prevented (Moynihan, 2015) . In case of disasters, immediate and decisive actions need to be taken to ensure that the lives of American citizens are not at risk. Critical and prompt decisions can only be taken by civil authorities because they need no governmental approval in delivering their civic duties as opposed to the army which has to wait for orders and follow the designed rules before acting to crisis.
Conclusion
Hurricane Katrina brought a lot of chaos and wrangled in President W. Bush's administration as people questioned the ability and effectiveness of the defense department in responding to disasters. Many were divided on the opinion whether the defense department should solely concentrate on law enforcement roles or relief roles. Delays in deploying defense units when hurricane Katrina made a landfall resulted in deaths and massive destruction of property which could have been prevented. To reduce the number of lives lost and property destroyed, the defense department has to offer support (such as financial support and disaster training) to civil authorities. The president acknowledged that hurricane Katrina was not an ordinary hurricane and federal government needed to have a broader role and ensure that different institutions are well integrated and coordinated to deal with the crisis efficiently.
References
Marable, M., & Clarke, K. (Eds.). (2016). S eeking higher ground: the Hurricane Katrina crisis, race, and public policy reader . Springer.
Moynihan, D. P. (2015). Collaboration amid crisis: The Department of defense during hurricane Katrina . Pearson.
Noel, A. (2014). America’s Own Backyard: Hurricane Katrina and Military Intervention. Emergency as Security , 3 , 73.
Tkacz, S. R. (2006). In Katrina's Wake: Rethinking the Military's Role in Domestic Emergencies. Wm. & Mary Bill Rts. J. , 15 , 301.
