¶ … capabilities discussed on page 16 of the Government Accountability Office report from this unit's readings. In your view, why hasn't the federal government been able to fulfill those capabilities after the September 11, 2001 and Hurricane Katrina incidents?
Effective emergency preparedness and response requires coordination across many levels of governmental and nongovernmental institutions. Successful responses to such major disasters, whether the result of natural forces or terrorist acts, necessitate large-scale planning, management and collaboration among well-trained first responder organizations in a wide range of disciplines, including public safety, fire, public health, and social service personnel. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, the federal government has endeavored to enhance our ability to handle cataclysmic events by investing at least $11 billion in financial support to state and local authorities for the purpose of improving their emergency preparedness and response systems. In spite of this increased financial investment, the Government Accountability Office has reported that many weakness and areas of improvement remain in the federal government's development and implementation of effective emergency preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities.
The GAO report of February 23, 2006 outlined...
There seems to be an over-emphasis on setting standards, assessments, and strategies for preparation and response to terrorist attacks, and an under-emphasis on such efforts with respect to natural disasters or accidents. Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornados, fires, floods, and hurricanes have statistically occurred far more frequently and caused significantly more damage than terrorism throughout the past decade. However, when Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 required DHS to establish goals that measure readiness by appropriately balancing these natural and…
