Should there be stricter guidelines concerning what events the president of the United States can declare disasters? Why or why not?
There should be no stricter guidelines about when the U.S president can declare disasters. The current guidelines are rigid enough to rescue the United States residents from all forms of disasters. There would be no need to make it strict about declaring disaster when people and other entities are in danger. Making more stringent guidelines would make it hard to offer financial assistance and emergency protective measures in disaster-stricken areas.
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What is the significance of an official disaster declaration, either by the president or a governor?
An official disaster declaration aims at reducing the effects of the catastrophe. It gives way for disaster response to defend against extra property loss and life ( Klein & Irizarry, 2020) . It permits the public officials to apply emergency powers to reserve the property, public health, and human life. It enables the public officials to order an evacuation in stricken or threatened areas and adequately control the region. It also helps the public entities and individuals in a disaster-stricken part to obtain federal financial assistance. A disaster declaration also helps the officials momentarily disarm people and request federal aid for rescue projects.
Research the last time the National Guard was activated and deployed to any state to respond to a disaster. Describe the circumstances and the tragedy. Analyze the National Guard's response to the disaster. Are there any concerns with using a military organization to conduct operations domestically?
In August 2005, the U.S. National Guard was deployed in hurricane Katrina. It was a massive category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused so much damage and death in New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina fell on Louisiana's land coast, and it hit like a storm with high-speed winds. The estimated property damage was $108 billion, and approximately 1,200 persons die due to the storm (Vigdor, 2008). There was a high speed of relief and rescue operations by the National Guard. The National Guard's capability to respond was confirmed to have been exemplary, known as the degree of regional destruction. The disaster exposed several deep-rooted problems, comprising controversies over the federal government's response, lack of storm preparedness, and issues in search-and-rescue operations (Vigdor, 2008). Some concerns create a decision-point with cost, political, and command or coordination implications due to the detail that the National Guard might act under federal or state control at the president's discretion. They bring about main concerns in the balance of federal and state authority in catastrophe circumstances.
References
Klein, T. A., & Irizarry, L. (2020). EMS, Disaster Response. StatPearls [Internet] .
Vigdor, J. (2008). The economic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Journal of Economic Perspectives , 22 (4), 135-54.
