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When there is a national emergency that occurs, they must be handled in the most effective way possible. With no two national emergencies, being identical to the previous one, each incident needs to be handled differently. Factors such as the time of year, geographic location, population, weather, manpower that is available for the initial response. There are countless of other factors that aid in determining how to best resolve or aid in a crisis situation.
Incidents such as hurricane Katrina, this incident required many different agency’s combining their resources in order to work together. This is why having an emergency management response plan is necessary for any public agency. In this paper, I will provide an example of the initial response of law enforcement as it related to hurricane Katrina within the first 24 hours. I will continue, by providing a timeline of the response. Lastly, I will critique the response of the overall outcome, and I will provide two alternative courses of action.
Hurricane Katrina
On August 2005, the nation watched as hurricane Katrina moved through the Gulf of Mexico. The nation keeping a watchful eye to where hurricane Katrina would make landfall. According to voanews.com,(Voice of America, 2009) on Monday, August 29, 2005, hurricane Katrina made landfall in the New Orleans, Louisiana as a category 4 hurricane with winds in excess of 100 mph.(Voice of America, 2009)
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As hurricane Katrina continued to pummel the City of New Orleans with high winds and rain, the city with a rich history began to experience heavy flooding due to the city’s levy’s breaking causing large amounts of water to rush into the city. Due to the large amounts of damage and countless number of people who died. More that 1,500 people died as a result of the hurricane.(United States Senate, 2006) hurricane Katrina is considered to be one of the deadliest hurricane in US history and also one of the costliest.
Example and Summary of Law Enforcement Initial Response
According to georgebush-whitehouse.archives.gov, almost instantly after hurricane Katrina makes landfall, law and order began to decline.(The White House, n.d.) The New Orleans Police Department became overwhelmed, not only by the weather, but also by the amount of crimes that were occurring as a result of the hurricane. With a majority of their police force victims of the hurricane, many were not able to report to work.(The White House, n.d.)
This caused the officers who were able to make it to work to become bombarded by calls for service. With the primary goal of any late enforcement agency being public safety, the department just did not have enough manpower and as a result, officers were not able to arrest everyone they witnessed committing crimes. The tremendous amount of disorder greatly impacted the department’s ability to preserve the peace. In some extreme instances, police services came to a halt.(The White House, n.d.)
Outcome of Responses Critique
The impact of emergency management responses was greatly lacking. Even after advisories from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The City of New Orleans and the entire state of Louisiana were not left without information as to how devastating hurricane Katrina could be. City officials knew the city’s levees were not strong enough to protect the city and the citizens. The city and state officials did not appreciate the importance of the potential for damage.
It was not until the flood waters consumed large amounts of the city that officials at all levels of government began to realize the gravity of the incident. The city and the state were ill prepared for the hurricane and the events that followed after the hurricane was over. It was then left to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to come in and provide aid.
Alternative Course of Action
The first argument for a logical plan of action would be to have state and city officials issue a mandatory evacuation notice and call up the National Guard in order to provide military presence and aid. Doing these days prior to hurricane Katrina reaching land could have helped minimize the loss of life. Another added benefit of activating the national guard would have been to assist local law enforcement in maintaining public safety.
A second argument for a logical plan of action would have been to correct or reinforce the city’s drainage and levy systems and as well as their infrastructure. This plan would have had to have been implemented years prior due to the need for funding, both by the state and federally. By correcting or strengthening the city’s weaknesses, this also could have saved countless lives and property.
Conclusion
When preparing for a natural disaster or any type of emergency situation, being prepared and having a plan of action can greatly reduce the potential of lives being lost. No single emergency management plan is perfect and can work for every situation. However, just having an emergency plan or using certain elements from multiple emergency plans can be invaluable.
There are many instances where issues can be avoided if only leaders take the time to heed warnings issued by representatives higher than themselves. If Hurricane Katrina has taught us anything, it is to listen to warnings and have an emergency plan of action in place.
