...Resilience Planning during Hurricane Sandy: Hurricane Sandy Lessons Learned from Hurricane Katrina University of Maryland University College Homeland Security Management: Resilience Planning and Preparedness for Disaster Response and Recovery (2152), Spring 2015 Written By: Brittany Wiley Introduction: Major Hurricane disasters along the coastlines have affected many cities and communities which have forced them to take into action and adopt the conception of emergency management, such as resilience planning, disaster preparedness, response and recovery planning. Mitigation preparedness plays an effective part in the emergency management plan. Many cities and communities must explore strategies to reduce the major impact these disasters have and implement resilience planning that will allow communities to rebuild. According to the National Disaster Recovery Framework (2011), “a successful recovery process promotes practices that minimize the community’s risk to all hazards and strengthens it’s ability to withstand and recover from future disasters, which constitute a community’s resiliency” (p. 11). Furthermore, Hurricane disaster’s not only expose community’s vulnerabilities but it gives them the opportunity to rebuild with more resiliency. When comparing two devastating Hurricane disasters that have impacted many cities, communities and lives; it’s important to consider Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey and New York. Both disasters distinguish...
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...Hurricane Katrina is one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States of America. It took thousands lives of citizens of New Orleans, left them without homes and families, and changed their lives forever. Many of those who survived the hurricane died waiting for help to come. Hurricane Katrina exposed the existence of ''two Americas''. It took government several days to get help to the victims of Katrina in New Orleans. After watching Spike Lee's documentary ''When The Levees Broke'' I learned that the Government doesn't care about its citizens. After Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency failed to do what it was created to do - provide immediate relief to the victims of the disasters. People were waiting for help for days, suffering from the heat, lack of food and drinking water and watching their loved ones die without medical help. Those who were tired to wait for the rescue buses and started to walk toward the Gretna bridge were turn around at the gun point. They were not allowed in, like they were citizens of another country- refugees, and thats how the media called people of New Orleans. The disaster of Hurricane Katrina could've been avoided if the levees that protect city would have been designed and built properly. I believe that Federal Government and other officials were aware of the situation for a very long time and still did nothing to protect the people of New Orleans. Most of the citizens of...
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...Governmental Fumble: Hurricane Katrina Things that occur naturally such as tornadoes, earthquakes, and hurricanes are unpreventable and are considered to be natural disasters. However, when man knowingly aids in the destructive power of naturally occurring events to inflect more damage, it is unquestionably a manmade disaster. For many years, both in the past and present, the United States has experienced some of the most devastating natural and artificial catastrophes such as The Dust Bowl of the 1930’s and the September 11 terror attack by the Al-Qaida terror network among others. In the case of Hurricane Katrina, the human factor contributed to both the deadliest and costliest hurricane to impact the city of New Orleans. A city that is known to be the birth place of Jazz and the yearly celebration of Mardi Gras has unfortunately inherited a new chain of thought as the city that went underwater. Hurricane Katrina was the third strongest land hurricane and the sixth-strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. The hurricane is approximated to have affected more than 1.5 million individuals in the states of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, which contributed to the loss of billions of dollars in damages and job losses caused by the hurricane. The city of New Orleans was the most affected because it stood directly in Katrina’s path and although it is impossible to stop a naturally occurring event from occurring, it is not impossible to limit the damage that it inflicts...
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...citizens in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina hit. One of the most noticeable differences between Katrina’s black and white victims is that the white citizens were able to escape or ended up better off than their black counterparts in general. For example, a white woman and a white boy with his family were filmed having a trailer given to them by Fema. None of the black citizens of New Orleans were shown to live in a trailer or have anything close to it. The main question that should be asked here is “Why did every black citizen questioned...
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...Covering Katrina “Let people know the facts and the country will be safe” - Abraham Lincoln. Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst natural and subsequently man-made disasters of the year 2005 Katrina and its aftermath has gone down in history as one of the governments worst response to a domestic emergency. As a way of giving understanding to the search and rescue aspect of Katrina, The Times- Picayune printed a guide to the spray painted markings on people’s homes. Each aspect of the X marking had a meaning. The top numbers represents the date that that home was searched, the left is for who searched it, the right is a warning or potential gas leaks or drowned wires, and the bottom represents the body count. This has to be the most gruesome part of the guide itself. It was a reminder that lives were lost due to the storm, human error, and plain neglect. The rescue markings are a haunting reminder of the wrath of Katrina. Journalist Chris Rose said at a elegy, “Who grieved over 1 dead in attic and who buried 1 dead in attic?” at a elegy. This sort of coverage changes the averages Americans mindset from one of apathy to one of empathy. It make you not think of the lost as nameless and faceless people, but instead of as some ones sister, brother or friend. One part of the exhibit that stuck out to me the most was the plywood from the Oriental Rugs store in New Orleans. The wooden board read “you know what it means to miss New Orleans y’all come back 4 carnival. I have...
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...9 RUNNING HEAD: LEADERSHIP FAILURES DURING KATRINA Leadership Failures of Hurricane Katrina Mark L. Perkins Webster University MNGT 6000 Professor Lee Trovas February27th2014 Abstract Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent history, not only because of the severity of the storm, which couldn’t be prevented, but due to poor planning and the years it took to rebuild and allow the people of New Orleans to move on with their lives.Hurricane Katrina happened four (4) years after the September 11th terrorist attacks and three (3) years after the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and one (1) year after the DHS had created a National Response Plan. With the world watching the Federal Government failed the people of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. The government failed to show initiative and the ability to provide for the basic needs for the people of New Orleans on many levels, including planning, logistics and communication during the natural disaster and the aftermath of the storm. . Introduction I’m going to discuss several failures of leadership and not just on the federal government but on the city and state as well. There are too many to fault that are identified later in this disaster ranging from pre-planning,...
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...What the Waters Revealed1 What the Waters Revealed Kathy Buschman Eng/215 October 12, 2013 Mr. Iwuchukwu What the Waters Revealed2 In the essay “What the Waters Revealed” written by Jim Wallis, Jim Wallis uses all three classical principals, ethos, pathos, and logos in his argument about Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster that everyone in the United States will always remember. During the Hurricane there was so much water that was produced that the levees around New Orleans could not withstand the pressure and the levees broke. Was it Hurricane Katrina that caused all the damage in New Orleans or was it the fact that the levees could not hold all the water, thus making the levees brake. Jim Wallis shed light to the truth that most Americans were not aware, and the media did not cover. Hurricane Katrina did not only destroy homes, businesses it also destroyed lives of thousands of people who lived in New Orleans. The essay reflects on our society's reluctance to admit how poverty and race correlates to our American society. (Lamm & Everett, 2007) Jim Wallis reveals the ethos argument by using his background as a veteran of the Civil War rights antiwar movements of 1960s and his years of experience in fighting for social justice..He uses his knowledge as a civil rights supporter to make several points about poverty in the United States. He gains the respect of his...
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...is a documentary about the disastrous flooding of New Orleans during the Hurricane Katrina in a different viewpoint. While mass media describes the flood as well as the hurricane as a natural disaster, Shearer claims that the flooding was actually a man-made disaster, not a natural one; and the film contains comprehensive investigations with scientific data to support the claim. “The Big Uneasy” emphasize on the ineffective design and maintenance of the flood-protection system as well as the engineering structure of Mississippi River’s waterway in the city. Severe environmental damages due to poor infrastructural planning also ruin the natural flood barrier of the region. Furthermore, these problems are supported...
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...Racism and Hurricane Katrina Matt DePalma Geography 1000 Assignment 1 October 4, 2013 Under the presidency of George W. Bush, Hurricane Katrina was deemed as a national, political, and racial disaster. From preparations of the hurricane, rescue efforts provided, and money funded for the storm, Hurricane Katrina represented a nationwide failure and the casualties and emotional scars it left on the people of New Orleans is evidence. Monday, August 29, 2005 will forever live on as a day of infamy in New Orleans, a day where not only poor planning was obvious but racial inequalities also became even more apparent to the people. In the aftermath of its destruction, Katrina showed the world just how racist New Orleans was, and how corrupt and slowly the government acted towards saving lives. Unfortunately, New Orleans the the United States government left the black, poverty stricken population for dead, exposing a city still full of racism for had they not been, more lives could have been rescued. For starters, Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans during the storm had issued a mandatory evacuation of the city in preparation of the storm (Trouble the Water). This is a seemingly righteous and smart political move on Nagin’s part except that he also provided no transportation for those without cars or money. As a mayor, Nagin had to know that not every single person in his city could afford the luxury of travel for evacuation of Katrina. Nagin left 100,000 people, most of...
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...The initial response to the extensive disaster in the Gulf Coast area of New Orleans, resulted from Hurricane Katrina, showed high levels of ineptitude and disorganization by government officials. The world was shocked by images of distressed individuals awaiting salvage on their rooftops, and the masses of people packed together in unpardonable conditions, in the Super Dome. There was no hiding from the painful reality and obvious inaction or inability of those responsible for caring for the residents in the wake of this catastrophe. Although, a substantial amount of the blame has been placed on FEMA, it should be understood that various aspects contributed to the circumstances in New Orleans. Some of the levees had been unsuccessfully built and were not properly maintained. Local agencies failed to plan and prepare of such a large event, even though they have been getting hit by hurricanes since the late 1800's. Government officials delayed ordering an evacuation, and did not take into account how to assist those citizens who lacked the monetary resources or had health risks that prevented them from evacuating the area. An 8.3 magnitude earthquake in San Francisco in 1906 that left over 250,000 people homeless and killed 478 people began the Federal involvement in the aftermath of natural disasters. While the disaster itself was obviously inescapable, the fires that burned throughout the city were the result of thoughtless planning. In an effort to improve the nation’s...
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...As the response to Hurricane Katrina and relevant recovery operations required ethical decision-making, due attention should be paid to assessment of the validity and effectiveness of ethical decisions. There are many resources, both videos and articles, that provide detailed description of the tragic situations created by the impact of the natural disaster and some ethical dilemmas faced by responders. In all cases, the concepts of ethics, justice, equity, equality, and professional competence played an important role in decision-making processes. The storm caused “more than 1,800 fatalities and more than $100 billion in damage” (American Society of Civil Engineers, 2015). Policy makers’ decisions caused harm and completely destroyed the...
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...Monday morning, 29 August 2005, this is a day most New Orleans residents will never forget. This was the day a category 5 hurricane named Katrina made its catastrophic debut to the Gulf Coast region and killed over 1,300 people. (The White House, 2006, p. 1) After it was all said and done, the nation was shocked at the events that unfolded in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi and people were left wondering, “What went wrong?” National Geographic reported that the storm originated about a week earlier, 23 August, in the Caribbean and worked its up from the Bahamas making landfall Thursday, 25 August, in Miami. Winds at this time were 75-80 mph making it a category 1 hurricane causing some tree damage and killing two people. (Drye, 2005) The storm lost strength for a little while but once it hit the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, it rapidly gained momentum and before long reached wind speeds up to 175 mph making it a category 5 hurricane. On Sunday, 28 August, New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin, issued a mandatory evacuation order. Roughly 24 hrs later, the full strength of Katrina slammed into New Orleans and Biloxi. (Drye, 2005) Local and state emergency managers are responsible for coming up with a plan of action for different hazardous situations. Once a situation gets overwhelming for those levels of management, federal assistance is then requested. Prior to Hurricane Katrina’s arrival, various local emergency management agencies (LEMAs), such as local fire, police, and...
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...The film, “Hurricane on the Bayou,” presents the environmental impact of the wetlands in New Orleans, and events that contributed to the catastrophic effect of Hurricane Katrina. Moreover, the film describes the aftermath effects and possible considerations that may help prevent future catastrophes. The modernization and infrastructure of New Orleans weakened the surrounding ecosystem and removed any natural resilience against hurricanes. Wetlands act as a natural buffer that reduces the intensity of a hurricane. For every one mile of wetland, there is a reduction in hurricane height by one foot. Although minor, it mitigates a portion of the damage caused by hurricanes. Prior to any society, New Orleans had a wetland that spanned the size of Delaware. Through engineering design and urbanization, the wetlands slowly erode away over the course of several decades. For example, levies were installed to prevent the constant floods that the towns would undergo. Consequently, the installation of these levies caused the wetland grass to dry and soil to falter. Thus, it decreased the amount of wetlands available. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and demolished anything in its path including the levies, the city started to rebuild itself. It is important for any engineer to consider the ecological impact implementing a system or design. New engineering designs and systems that consider the harmful effects on the environment not only help rebuild the city, but also start to...
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...A plethora of natural disasters have occurred in the past twenty years, but very few compare to the social and economic impact Hurricane Katrina had on the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina formed on August 23, 2005 over the Gulf of Mexico and strengthened to a category five hurricane. The places that were affected by this hurricane ranged from the Bahamas, Louisiana, Alabama, and other parts of the southeastern region of North America. The estimated count of fatalities was about 1,800 and more than seventy percent of the fatalities occurred in Louisiana. Prior to landfall, the hurricane had decreased to a category three hurricane, which caused some people to underestimate the strength and effect that the hurricane could inflict. More specifically, Hurricane Katrina reached high winds of up to 175 miles per hour and moved cars and boats from the coast about seven to ten miles inland. As most cities and states caught wind of the news from the National Weather Services, several mandatory evacuation protocols were placed into effect for the first time ever. Hurricane Katrina affected the United States politically, economically, and socially due to the ill advised decision making and faults within local...
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...Hurricane Katrina According to (Brunner, 2007), Hurricane Katrina slammed into the U.S. Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, destroying beachfront towns in Mississippi and Louisiana, displacing a million people, and killing almost 1,800. When levees in New Orleans were breached, eighty percent of the city was submerged by the flooding. About twenty percent of its 500,000 citizens were trapped in the city without power, food, or drinking water. Rescue efforts were so delayed and haphazard that many were stranded for days on rooftops and in attics before help arrived. The city became a toxic pool of sewage, chemicals, and corpses, and in the ensuing chaos, mayhem and looting became rampant; about fifteen percent of the city’s police force had simply walked off the job. The 20,000 people who made their way to the Superdome, the city’s emergency shelter, found themselves crammed into sweltering and fetid conditions. At a second shelter, the convention center, evacuees were terrorized by roaming gangs and random gunfire. Relief workers, medical help, security forces, and essential supplies remained profoundly inadequate during the first critical days of the disaster. New Orleans was in the path of that particular storm. I remember it like it was yesterday. My family and I received minor damage from this hurricane that year. We were left in the dark for over a week when this storm occurred. The city was mostly deserted during this storm. It was mostly the poor...
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