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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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February
2006
Volume
10 - Number 1 |
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The Root of the Problem
By Brent Hyland Americans out cry for sweeping change should be because
they want to dig deep to understand the root of a problem and demand a solution
to that problem. Americans have become increasingly dependent on media sources
for their opinion and therefore demand change without understanding the basis
of the problem. This is evident in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The
root of the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe was an utter failure at the state
and local levels to properly plan, respond and communicate. At the onset of
a disaster the responsibility is for the local officials to respond per the
roles established in the plan developed at the local level. Only after the
hurricane did officials learn that who they thought would help and provide
resources did not have a clear understanding of their role. After Hurricane
Katrina, state and local officials complained that they knew they were not
able to respond to a hurricane of this magnitude but these officials never
clearly identified from who they would be receiving the needed support. It
is apparent that the tough questions at the local and state level prior to
the incident where not addressed because the majority of the blame incorrectly
fell on the federal government.
The National Response Plan (NRP) was developed to establish a comprehensive, all-hazards approach to enhance the ability of the United States to manage domestic incidents. It forms the basis of how the federal government coordinates with state and local governments and the private sector during incidents. In theory, the development of this plan should have alleviated many of the problems that surfaced during Hurricane Katrina. One factor that the NRP could not plan for was the role of leadership. Proper leadership must be in place for an organized response to a disaster. This would include leaders who are competent and put the service and mission ahead of themselves. Regarding Hurricane Katrina, only after the National Guard and the Coast Guard arrived to the Gulf Coast region and assumed much of the mission did we see the needed leadership. However, this leadership needs to be exemplified by local and state officials. Had there been this leadership at the local level the leadership would have been asking why the buses that were to be used to evacuate people from the Superdome where parked in a floodplain zone. The greatest threat to New Orleans was the flooding, so why not move their primary mode for evacuation out of harms way? Had there been leadership at the state level, why was the emergency operation center (EOC) not fully operational until almost one week after Hurricane Katrina hit? How can the state be an effective liaison between the local and federal level when their EOC is not fully operational? The biggest question that is not being asked is, “how can the government take the brunt of the blame without identifying the root of the problem - Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin?” When it was clear that Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin could not put their personnel differences behind them, people of New Orleans did not have a chance to get the help they needed in order to prevent the horrible aftermath. What seems to be forgotten is that the role of the national government is to coordinate and support the state and local levels. Local and state levels must establish plans and take ownership for the proper execution of their emergency plans. As the saying goes “I can’t help you if you can’t help yourself.” |