Not only were better public safety communications systems as well as interagency communications systems necessary, then, but these systems needed to be more clearly outlined and presented to the right individuals.
Response to Noted Problems
The issues that arose during the response to Hurricane Katrina did not go unnoticed by the media, the public, or the officials involved in responding to disasters and coordinating relief efforts. Through the reactions of these officials and the legislation that was proposed and/or enacted in the wake of the hurricane, other specific communications problems that occurred during Katrina as well as more general public safety communications concerns can be identified. Direct technological inadequacies and a lack of physical infrastructure within the state of Louisiana were among the earliest problems identified, and legislation was introduced almost immediately after the hurricane to improve communications infrastructure and to ensure greater interoperability between existing and expanding/newly constructed communications systems and procedures (Moore 2005).
Another issue that has been noted is the emphasis placed on federal communications and military agencies in the wake of the September 11th attacks (Perini 2007). While it is true that the intensity of these attacks and of several subsequent scares requires the ability to quickly accumulate and communicate information, many of the systems and protocols that have been put into place have focused on military and security communications at the expense of communications systems for other non-militaristic threats (Perini 2007). The development of such an exclusive and narrowly-focused communications schema has been detrimental to overall public safety communications (Perini...
Responses to Hurricane Katrina have included broadening the focus and the scope of existing communications systems and integrating emergency and disaster response systems in order to counteract the detriments noted in this more exclusive communications focus.
Conclusion
Hurricane Katrina did not create any communications problems, but it certainly highlighted many issues confronting communications infrastructures and demonstrated the need for effective public safety communications systems. Without these systems in place, the unavoidable problems that were created by Hurricane Katrina were allowed to become much more intense and widespread than they needed to be, and other problems that could have been avoided were created. There appears to have been a fairly comprehensive response to the issues identified, however.
References
Moore, L. (2005). Public Safety Communications Policy: Before and After Hurricane Katrina. Accessed 7 October 2011. http://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=457862
Mountjoy, J. (2005). Broken Connections. Accessed 7 October 2011. http://www.csg.org/knowledgecenter/docs/sn0510BrokenConections.pdf
Perini, M. (2007). Public Communications: Vital Link to Maintaining the Public's Trust During Crisis. Accessed 7 October 2011. http://www.carlisle.army.mil/DIME/documents/Public%20Communications.pdf
US Congress. (2006). Protecting Infrastructure; Public Communication; Role of the Media. Accessed 7 October 2011. http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/pdf/sr109-322/ch20.pdf
White House. (2007). The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons Learned. Accessed 7 October 2011. http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/report/2006/katrina-lessons_wh_060223_ch5.htm
