Disasters and other emergencies are among the most common occurrences that cannot be controlled by human ability. They occur when people least expect and the best that the authorities can do is to minimize losses that are caused by the emergencies. There are several types of emergencies some of which include terrorist attacks and natural calamities such as hurricanes or floods. To deal with emergencies that might affect the security of its citizens, the American government formed the Department of Homeland Security in 2002 (Jorgenson, 2011). The primary objective of the newly created department was to identify potential risks to the security of the American people before they occurred and also to provide emergency response services during disasters. Since its inception, the Department of Homeland Security has successfully offered help to millions of Americans in times of disasters and also prevented many threats to the security of the American people from actually taking place. One of the emergencies that forced the department to stretch its abilities was Hurricane Katrina. This paper aims at providing an in-depth analysis of Hurricane Katrina and how the Department of Homeland Security responded to the emergency.
One of the most destructive hurricanes to ever hit the United States is Hurricane Katrina. Katrina struck in August 2005, mainly affecting the country’s southeastern region. It is estimated that the hurricane claimed approximately 1800 lives and millions of dollars regarding loses as a result of property destruction. With the money spent on rescue operations together with rebuilding, the hurricane is regarded to be one of the costliest among the Hurricanes that have ever struck the United States. The Hurricane, which started as a storm, quickly escalated to category 3 by 27 th August with wind speed exceeding 115 miles per hour ( Faust et al., 2014 ). It also caused flooding in New Orleans, and people were forced to seek shelter in various dedicated places such as the Louisiana Superdome. The magnitude of the disaster made it impossible for the local emergency response units to effectively take control of the situation and ensure that a considerable number of lives and properties are saved. The emergency management efforts carried out by various agencies were heavily criticized as they lacked coordination and were slow to react to the situation. As a result, there was widespread civil disobedience with many people going against the law and looting local business stores. The slow response of the federal government also made the situation worse as their resources could have been instrumental in restoring normalcy had they responded early enough ( Faust et al., 2014 ). Through the hurricane, the Department of Homeland Security's ability to handle emergencies was put to the test.
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Effective emergency management requires the consideration of all the phases involved in emergency management. The four major phases of emergency management are mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. A response can be regarded as the most important phase because it includes efforts made by various groups to save lives and minimize loses in the event of an emergency. The response phase is a continuous cycle which involves planning, equipping, training, and the evaluation of the most likely scenarios that may occur in the event of an emergency ( Burton, 2014 ). All the activities involved in the preparedness phase are aimed at making sure that the relevant agencies respond to emergencies in the best possible way. An analysis at how the Department of Homeland Security responded to Hurricane Katrina demonstrated that the department had not prepared well enough for the emergency. Foremost, the response time was poor as it happened after considerable losses had already been made. There was also a lack of coordination among the various federal units that had been sent to manage the situation making their efforts less effective. Despite the criticism that the department of homeland security faced, there were instances which proved that they could handle future emergencies more effectively. Foremost, there were coordinated efforts that made it possible to set up shelters where people could seek refuge during the disaster ( Burton, 2014 ). There were also effective population warning methods, where the people living in the affected areas were informed of the places to avoid and how to seek help.
The response is another phase that determines the effectiveness of emergency management procedures. The response is basically how the initial reaction by relevant authorities to an emergency (Howitt & Leonard, 2006 ) . It includes the first wave of assistance offered to the affected population. If the response is quick and effective, then a large number of people and property can be saved. During hurricane Katrina, the Department of Homeland Security received much criticism due to its slow and uncoordinated response to the emergency. The delay in response was evident as it was not until September 12, 2005, that various federal agencies were mobilized to carry out comprehensive rescue and support efforts (Howitt & Leonard, 2006 ) . According to Burton (2014 ), it was also not until the local agencies had been overwhelmed by the hurricane that the Department of Homeland Security started its serious intervention in a bid to save to save lives and reduce property loss. Had the response been prompt, many lives would have been saved, and the more efforts would have been directed towards restoration. Despite the late response, the military was able to save a considerable number of people, while providing much-needed amenities such as food and clean drinking water to the people. An analysis of how the response was in regards to hurricane Katrina proves that it was poor and more effort must be put into improving future emergency responses.
Another important step in disaster management is recovery. Islam et al . (2015) explained that recovery includes steps taken by various agencies to make sure that the community is returned to normalcy and everyone can continue with their daily activities as they did before the hurricane. Some of the activities involved in the recovery phase include rebuilding, repair, and the replacing of property that had been affected by the emergency. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina saw coordinated efforts among various agencies to make sure that the lives of the people affected went back to normal. Several countries, among them Canada and Mexico offered aid to the united states concerning funds and supplies that would enable the people to get back on their feet ( Phillips et al., 2013 ). The countries also contributed their troops in the Gulf Coast with the primary purpose of helping the cleanup and rebuilding exercise. The United States army engineers were tasked with the pumping of flood waters from the city in a bid to restore the city. There were also other agencies that provided counseling to the victims to help them avoid psychological trauma that they could have had. In the end, the recovery efforts proved successful as New Orleans jumped back to its feet and its residents continued with their normal activities.
According to Phillips et al. (2013 ), the mitigation phase involves steps taken by the relevant agencies to assess the damage caused by emergencies and coming up with ways through which such future events can be avoided or losses minimized. Through mitigation, FEMA found out that the communication and coordination among various federal and state agencies were poor during hurricane Katrina. It was established that it took time before different agencies involved in an emergency could effectively work together and carry out their operations in a coordinated manner. There was also poor preparation on the part of the federal agencies evidenced by the time they took to respond to the emergency and the way they handled the situation at hand. From the look at how various agencies dealt with Hurricane Katrina, it was apparent that drastic measures needed to be taken to better prepare the country for any future emergencies.
The close study of Hurricane Katrina and the response by various agencies bring to the fore multiple measures that must be used by the agencies to better respond to emergencies in the future. It is essential that the multiple agencies responsible for disaster management are well trained and equip to handle emergencies such as hurricane Katrina. Better equipping and training of the relevant agencies will improve their response time and speed (Sastry, 2009). According to Jorgenson (2011), it is also crucial to come up with more effective disaster warning mechanisms which can lead to better communication among related agencies and the public. This will help people access shelters faster and avoid dangerous areas. Furthermore, communication between the federal government and the states must be improved so that it can be clear when and in which circumstances can local governments seek help from the federal government. This also serves to improve the response time. If the above recommendations are implemented, then emergency management in the United States will improve.
In summation, it is evident that Hurricane Katrina provided the most significant test to the Department of Homeland Security's ability to handle emergencies. The hurricane, which occurred in 2005, remains one of the biggest natural disasters ever to affect the United States to this day. To understand the response to Katrina, it is important to analyze how the various phases of emergency management were executed. The main phases in emergency management include preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Even though the federal government’s response to hurricane Katrina was heavily criticized, some of the phases of emergency management were comprehensively covered. Regarding response, there were coordinated efforts that made it possible to set up shelters where people could seek refuge during the disaster. There are several recommendations that the agencies might need to consider to improve their emergency management abilities in the future. It is vital that the various agencies responsible for disaster management are well trained and equipped to handle emergencies such as hurricane Katrina. It is also crucial to come up with more effective disaster warning mechanisms which can lead to better communication among related agencies and the public. Since its formation, the department of homeland security has proven to be instrumental in securing Americans and responding to emergencies.
References
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Howitt, A. M., & Leonard, H. (2006). Katrina and the Core Challenges of Disaster Response. The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs , 30(1). Retrieved from https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/research-initiatives/crisisleadership/files/katrina_core_challenges.pdf
Jorgenson, E. (2011). Hurricane Katrina: Humanitarian obligations and lessons learned . Retrieved from https://www.du.edu/korbel/crric/media/documents/ellenjorgenson.pdf
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