Hurricane Katrina Essays (Examples)

Hurricane Katrina and Economic Implications Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina and Economic Implications

Hurricane Katrina and the Economic Implications

The events of the incident and the economic backlash

The 2005 Hurricane Katrina that ended up encompassing the cities of Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana can be termed as one of the most deadly hurricanes to hit the United States of America and left millions of people in absolutely despair along with serious economic implications for the entire country to cope up with. The government and administration of President Bush ended up allocating almost $105 billion to stabilize the country and the hurricane-hit regions. The hurricane disrupted not just the lives of people but also left them helpless and worried about the fulfillment of their basic needs as there was a disruption in the supply of many commodities like Oil, cotton and other food supplies.

The Hurricane left almost 600,000 people in New Orleans absolutely jobless. The estimated loss that the Hurricane left on the economy of Mississippi and Louisiana went up to $150 billion which was quite a massive amount. The huge drop in income left the aggregate demand and expenditure in the economy to nearly nothing because people could barely afford to continue their daily lives with the…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina on August 29th

Time for Accountability

There is definitely a time for accountability; but what isn't fair is to dump on the federal officials and avoid those most responsible -- local and state officials who failed to do their job as the first responders. The plain fact is lives were needlessly lost in New Orleans due to the failure of Louisiana's governor, Kathleen Blanco, and the city's mayor, Ray Nagin (Williams, 2005).

The primary responsibility for dealing with emergencies does not belong to the federal government. It belongs to local and state officials who are charged by law with the management of the crucial first response to disasters. First response should be carried out by local and state emergency personnel under the supervision of the state governor and her emergency operations center.

The actions and inactions are a national disgrace due to their failure to implement the previously established evacuation plans of the state and city. Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin cannot claim that they were surprised by the extent of the damage and the need to evacuate so many people. Detailed written plans were already in place to evacuate more than a million people. The plans projected that 300,000 people would need…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina Disaster Evaluation Review the Final

Hurricane Katrina Disaster Evaluation

Review the Final Paper instructions in Week 5. Develop a thesis statement and outline, and identify at least five sources you intend to use for the Final Paper.

Develop a thesis statement. The thesis statement will be the point or claim you argue or prove in your paper.

9/11 and Hurricane Katrina Disaster Evaluation

9/11 and Hurricane Katrina Disaster Evaluation

Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks should never be forgotten, nor should the victims that were involved in these tragedies. Katrina, the storm that smashed into the city of New Orleans in August 2005, became to be known as one of the deadliest hurricanes in United States history. There were around 1,836 mortalities from the killer storm. The Sept. 11 campaign was the most dangerous terrorist incident in the history of the United States beside Pearl Harbor in 1941. Up until this day, 24 people are still documented as missing, with 2,973 death tolls. Sept. 11 is the outcome of an attack of terror and Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster, which of course brands them totally different. Together Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 still are calamities that have a profound effect on the people…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina a Man Made Crisis

Hurricane Katrina

When former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial remarked "The New Orleans we all through we knew is dead," he was speaking about not only 2005 natural mega-storm Hurricane Katrina, but the events and effect the disaster would have on the City of New Orleans that even today still reverberate. The events surrounding the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina offer a winsome and remarkable case study regarding the continuing social divide between individuals and society, and the inability for big government to manage a crisis effectively. Yet, the disaster brought forward the juxtaposition between two sides -- the macroeconomic consequences of Mother Nature and the heart rendering and emotional plight of individuals.

One event factor, only partially controlled by society, was the almost $100 billion and counting effect of Hurricane Katrina on the U.S. Economy

. This figure is quite low, when one takes into account not just the repairs and reconstruction for the region, but the interruption of the Gulf oil supply, ruin of exports like grain, forestry in adjoining areas, hundreds of thousands left unemployed (fewer taxes into the government) as well as the huge economic impact the lack of tourism will have on the Louisiana economy (Reidy…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina Public Policy Environmental

If this happened, the city would be flooded, leaving all its citizens without the necessary transportation to leave.

When Katrina approached, however, the government, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, took no action to help citizens evacuate the city before the hurricane struck. Instead, the clear warnings issues in this regard were simply ignored. Indeed, even after the hurricane struck and the danger became more than potential, government response was delayed for a further two days. In addition, Kay notes that the local government in the city also had no evacuation plan in place when the hurricane struck.

Kay and other critics blame presidential and government incompetence for the consequences of the disaster. Kay also names the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Iraq as evidence of this incompetence as well as lack of accountability for the disaster. The main reason for the government's lack of response, according to Kay, appears to be its incompetence and lack of preparation despite full knowledge of the impending disaster.

IV. SOCIAL ISSUES

Forman and Lewis (2006) identify Hurricane Katrina not only as a natural disaster, but also a social one. The authors estimate that at least one in five of the city's residents…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina Class and Race

These groups, Flaherty asserts, provided the first organizers in shelters, and continue to support the homeless and luckless victims of Katrina.

Meanwhile, an article in the journal Reason laid out the race and class dynamic with forceful simplicity: "Obviously, race and poverty are intertwined in America, and to that extent race was related to who survived in New Orleans" (Young, 2005). And when there are problems connected to the Republican Party that cry out for resolution and understanding - such as the ongoing American occupation and bloody civil strive in Iraq - there are GOP spin-doctors busy at work deflecting the criticism. Writer Young notes that "as the city began to retrieve its dead and the final tally was still expected to be in the thousands, some Republicans launched a spin cycle, suggesting that 10,000 dead in a nation of 300 million was that bad..."

Writing in Nieman Reports, Boston Globe journalist Kevin Cullen outlined the media's "bias against poor people, especially poor black people" in terms of how quickly unconfirmed reports of looting, rapes, hostage situations were accepted as fact, albeit those rumors only helped to feed the notion that somehow angry blacks were out of control (Cullen 2005).…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina on August 29

Thousands of personnel from Coast Guard units nationwide rushed to the scene to provide 1,380 Aids to Navigation discrepancies, to assist in 1,129 pollution cases (seven major pollution incidents) and provide help to 1,000 salvage cases including more than 200 grounded vessels. More than 3,900 Coast Guard personnel responded to the disaster.

While the FEMA effort stumbled and fell far short of its intended goal, the United States Coast Guard Reserve and Auxiliary joined with regular USCG service members to rescue more than 24,273 people from perilous wind, pounding rain, and killer floodwaters..

The Coast Guard assisted with the evacuation of 9,462 patients from hospitals and nursing care facilities on land. Using eighteen HH-60J and 25 HH-65 helicopters "rescued 12,661 people from peril," according to the Coast Guard data ().

President George W. Bush promised New Orleans and Louisiana $60 billion for rebuilding, but according to CBS.com, "Only $6.78 billion has actually been spent on rebuilding New Orleans." Less than half the city's schools have reopened, crime is "skyrocketing" and there is a sense of despair among many citizens, only a third of whom (from original citizens) have returned to their homes (CBS.com).

Salon.com reports that part of the problem…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina One of the

The research stated that

Because disasters tend to accelerate existing economic, social, and political trends, the large losses in housing, population, and employment after Katrina are likely to persist and, at best, only partly recover. However, the possibility of breaking free of this gloomy trajectory is feasible and has some historical precedent

Post-Katrina, there is much that can be done to help not only the city's renewal and revitalization from a physical and structure perspective, but there is also a lot that can be done to help alleviate the hurt and anger as a result of a very sluggish response to fellow Americans in the time of need. Politicians have stated that the government should not only help with support, but the government is obligated by statute to do so.

Historical authorities on the free market, Adam Smith and Alexander Hamilton, said that a nation's military defense and its infrastructure were the two major legitimate responsibilities of a government

Church organizations have been a great source of comfort for many Katrina victims post-disaster. Not only are the organizations a safe harbor for many, but the church groups are also proactive in New Orleans on dealing specifically with the race and…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina Discuss Reasons Behind NIBCO's Decision

Hurricane Katrina

Discuss reasons behind NIBCO's decision to implement an ERP system.

The primary motivation behind NIBCO's decision to implement the new ERP system hinged on economic considerations. From a competitive standpoint, NIBCO needed to innovate. As the case illustrated, the company's information systems were unable to properly communicate with each other. As such, there was a lack of integration between critical business functions. The accounting department, for instances, was unable to properly communicate with the distribution department. This lack of communication and integration made the company's operations inefficient relative to its peers in the industry. This lack of integration, combined with competitive pressures stifled NIBCO's overall earnings growth. The company was losing market share to more efficient and nimble operations. Therefore, the decision to implement the new ERP system was a direct response to the market economy that NIBCO operates in. Without innovation, the company would continue to lose vital market share to competitors. Finally, the legacy systems in which NIBCO used were difficult to audit. For example, it was difficult to decipher the financing portion of many of the different departments. Due to the inability to communicate with one another, each department could conceal vital financial information, further…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina Was One of

Churches were able to provide food and shelter in a timely and efficient manner. Faith-based organizations also had the assistance of church members who were eager to volunteer.

Recommendations

As a result of the findings presented in this discussion, it is recommended that the American Red Cross and other disaster relief agencies carefully examined their preparedness for future disasters. The research indicates that the Red Cross was ill prepared to handle the amount of people that were affected by Hurricane Katrina.

The lack of preparedness extended into the way that the organization served certain communities in the aftermath of the Hurricane. For instance, many Latino's and other English Language learners were not given the appropriate assistance because people assumed that they were workers and not survivors of the storm. In the future the Red Cross can avoid treating people in this manner by diversifying its staff and ensuring that there are bilingual workers on scene who are ready and able to assist the people that need help.

In addition, it appears that assistance such as vouchers were given to people who were not survivors of the Hurricane. These types of mistakes are extremely detrimental and have a negative impact on…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina and the Impact

This is the point that it becomes nearly impossible to prevent the disaster from spiraling out of control.

When you step back and analyze the situation, it is clear that the lack of coordination and communication from Mayor Nagin made the situation worse. As, he did not heed the warnings about: the total amounts of destruction and the possibility that the city could be paralyzed from this storm. This caused a ripple effect in the city government, with no one being prepared for the overall scope of the damages and the possibility that the disaster could become worse in the days after the storm. What is most troubling about these events is that Nagin; did not accept responsibility for what was happening. Instead, he began to blame others for his shortcomings and waited for the state or federal government to do something about the issues that they were facing. Once this occurred, it meant that the overall scope of the disaster became even more severe by: leaving tens of thousands of residents stranded vs. providing some kind of effective assistance.

The Reaction of the City of New Orleans in Comparison with the Coast Guard and FEMA

When you compare how…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina Hit the United States in

Hurricane Katrina hit the United States in 2005, there were many individuals whose lives were destroyed. The resulting flooding in New Orleans also left many without homes, food, water, and employment. Even those in positions of authority were left without means of communication, and in some cases, these individuals committed acts completely against their codes of ethics. This paper will discuss one set of individuals in power exclusively, those of the police officers of New Orleans, and will focus on the ethical dilemmas that stemmed from the acts of looting which occurred at the hands of some of those officers.

To fully understand the situation in New Orleans, one must first understand the issues underlying ethical dilemmas. These dilemmas can stem from a variety of sources, including a conflict between personal and professional values, between two principles, between two actions, each with strong positive aspects as well as strong negative aspects, and between ones' perceived values and one's personal values (Walters, 41).

Additionally, it is important to distinguish between three types of "looting": those acts done for personal gain, those done for necessity in the line of duty, and those in between. In one incident, police officers were seen breaking…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina's Impact on America

It seems as if more studies should be undertaken to really understand the magnitude of this problem, and try to figure out if there is a solution. It seems as if it would be difficult if not impossible to regenerate ground water for years and years, so what are residents on wells doing, and what is agriculture doing? Are they using contaminated water? Do they even know if it contaminated? These are questions that this arsenic study raises, and they are concerns that would face anyone in the same situation after such a massive natural disaster, so they need to be answered and addressed.

Probably the most frightening aspect of the environmental situation in the Gulf Coast is how little people seem to care about it anymore. There was an initial outpouring of public concern and money right after the event, but now, more "important" things like gas prices and the economy have replaced worries about New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. It seems as if Americans are fickle, and if the situation does not really impact them somehow, sooner or later it ceases to exist. That is worrisome when it comes to the Gulf Coast region, because if continuing…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina Has Had on

S. is imported through or fished out of the Gulf. Katrina struck right at the peak of harvesting season. At the same time, Louisiana is the nation's top oyster producer, and wholesalers are waiting in fear to see if the beds have been damaged" ("Katrina's Impact"). Therefore, food and agriculture may also show signs of economic fallout for years to come. Much of this remains to be seen, as all the damage has still not been assessed in all areas.

The hurricane also destroyed billions of board feet of hardwood in the states, which will also have an affect on the forestry industry. About 10% of Mississippi jobs are in this area, and this will create higher prices for many building materials and other wood products like paper, too (Editors). Thus, the economic affects are quite widespread and could last for decades in some Southern states and in some industries. In addition, any exports that do make it out of port will cost more to the importers because of higher energy and shipping costs, and will mean less profit to the growers for the very same reasons.

Has anything positive come out of the Katrina disaster? Perhaps there is a…… [Read More]

How Hurricane Katrina Exposed Race and Class Issues in America

Hurricane Katrina revealed to the American public that race and class are still issues which are alive and well in the United States of America. The images on television and other media modes revealed that a select segment of society was overwhelmingly affected by this natural disaster. In fact, many died simply because they were poor and African-American. The adverse consequences they faced were a direct result of either actions or inactions directly related to their class and race; and the two are inextricably intertwined and continue to effect the rebuilding of New Orleans to this day.

How Hurricane Katrina Exposed Race and Class Issues in America

Nothing illustrates the issue of race and class issues in America greater than the moniker "The Chocolate City." Mayor Nagin, of New Orleans, used this term to describe his own city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Understandably, his words created quite a stir and he found himself apologizing profusely as did a number of politicians and government agencies who were called on the carpet for the manner in which this emergency was handled. It took a natural disaster of vast proportion to force Americans to confront the underlying reasons for the ghastly…… [Read More]

Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina - Emergency Management

All discussions regarding the Hurricane Katrina need to acknowledge the fact that the primary reason for Katrina having a great impact was task scope and size, rather than human failure. While effective management is capable of modifying disasters, one cannot expect it to eliminate them. Still, it is evident that an increased sense of urgency, enhanced coordination among responder groups, and more efficient management of communication tools and information (intelligence) could have minimized losses brought about by the disaster (Moynihan, 2009).

Nature and extent of the disaster

Hurricane Katrina represented a significant natural calamity that caused human life and material loss. It marked the most devastating of natural catastrophes in the history of the U.S., wrecking no less than ninety thousand square miles of the nation -- an area equal to UK's size. A powerful storm surge destroyed the coastal regions of Mississippi, leaving thousands of citizens homeless and penniless. It flooded the city of New Orleans, claiming over 1500 lives. Several thousands of individuals dwelling in the Gulf Coast regions went without key necessities for nearly 7 days. The anguish that continued up to several weeks following the storm didn't pass soon; rather, it…… [Read More]

Remembrance Hurricane Katrina Hits Never

Brown did not contact Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Secretary, to activate emergency response workers until five hours after Hurricane Katrina made landfall (Mayer et al. 2008). Furthermore, Brown did not use any urgent language about how devastating Hurricane Katrina's effects might be along the Gulf Coast, a response which many have found to be sadly inadequate.

Since the Katrina disaster, FEMA has been essentially stripped of its emergency powers, and much of that power now falls on local and state emergency management officials. It is upsetting that there has been an increased tendency since 9/11 for politicians and officials to look to Washington for every answer regarding disaster response (Mayer et al. 2008). Many experts agree that allowing FEMA to serve an ever-expanding part in addressing day-to-day emer-gency responses around the country was crippling in the Katrina situation and other recent national disasters. If state and local governments continue to look to FEMA and other federal agencies rather than preparing proper emergency procedures themselves, they are getting a false sense of security which could end in a repeat of the New Orleans/Katrina situation. Instead, state and county officials should lean more toward having emergency plans themselves, and be able to…… [Read More]

Management to Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina 11th

management to Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina 11th named tropical storm by scientists, fourth hurricane, third major hurricane and first category 5 hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. On the day of August 5, 2005 hurricane Katrina made a land fall as a category 1 hurricane north of Miami, Florida, as a category 3 storm on August 29 along the central gulf coast near Buras-triumph then Louisiana. The storm surge of Katrina later destroyed the levee system that protected New Orleans from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi river. (Stewart & Stacy, 2005)

As a consequence the city was subsequently flooded mainly by water from the lake. The coast of Mississippi and Alabama were heavily damaged resulting to Katrina being the most destructive and costly disaster in the history of the U.S.A., the damage estimated at $100 billion.

In the Gulf of Mexico approaching the morning of the 26 0f August Katrina had gained strength to a Category 3 storm. On realizing later that afternoon that Katrina had yet to make the turn towards Florida panhandle, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) ended up revising the predicted track of the storm from the panhandle to the Mississippi coast. The hurricane watch was…… [Read More]

New Orleans' Hurricane Katrina Hurricane

Folkman, MI. California Engineer Sees Fears About New Orleans Levee system Come True, 2005

The author writes about the thoughts and experiences of Robert Bea, civil engineer at the University of California in Berkeley on the recent killer hurricane in New Orleans. Bea studied the city's levee system since 1954 when began working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, He discovered that it was not high enough and that parts of the city were far below sea level. Fixing the levee system permanently could be a multi-year and multi-dollar effort. The Corps of Engineer reported that major breaches of the levees at the 17th Street and London Canals had been sealed and that water was being pumped out of the city. It, however, said that the entire system was designed to contain only up to Category 3 of a fast-moving hurricane. When Katrina reached land, it was a strong Category 4 disaster and the conditions exceeded the design of the levees system.

Behar, M. Hurricanes, 2005

The author writes that the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale defines a Category 5 storm as one with "winds greater than 155 miles per hour" and with a surge greater than 18 feet. It was…… [Read More]

Disaster Management Lessons Learned From Hurricane Katrina

Disaster Management Lessons Learned From Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Management Lessons

The quality of public management can be tested in several situations. It is tested in situations when the financial resources are limited and cannot be used in order to address all the needs of the community in case, it is tested by its effects on the community in comparison with what it is expected from these authorities, but it can also be tested during natural disasters.

These natural disasters do not occur frequently, but their impact is tremendous. Such natural disasters refer to periods with very high temperature in areas where this is unusual, periods with very low temperature, drought, increased levels of all forms of precipitations, hurricanes, and others. Some of these natural disasters cannot be anticipated in time in order to counteract their effects. However, there are strategies that can be developed by the government and other authorities in order to reduce the effects in such situations.

The success of authorities' actions during periods of natural disasters depends on several factors. Their financial resources represent an important factor that can significantly influence authorities' response to such issues (Rojek & Smith, 2007). This is because the workforce involved in…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina that ripped through the Gulf Coast of the United States on August 29, 2005, was one of the most destructive tropical cyclones ever to hit the United States. The exact scale of damage is still being assessed but there is little doubt that the human suffering and the economic damage caused by the storm is colossal.

While people around the world have come to expect wide-scale destruction by natural disasters in third world countries due to their limited resources, the effect of the storm in the most resourceful country of the world left most people stunned. A majority of observers were taken aback at the lack of preparation and the lethargic response of the federal and state government agencies to the crisis. However others, who have followed the systematic erosion of the government's role, cuts in social welfare programs and the intense lobbying for privatization of public services in the name of 'laissez faire' during the last 25 years, are not surprised in the least.

Forewarning

It is not that Hurricane Katrina came without forewarning. New Orleans, a city of half a million people, has for long been considered at risk of a "Big One." Several national newspapers…… [Read More]

Hurricane Katrina

A large portion of this cost ultimately is borne by the state (Handmer, 2006). Therefore, through rational choice theory, policy was enacted to provide benefit at the lowest cost. For instance, sales taxes were raised, drainage systems were implemented to prevent flooding, building codes were upgraded to prevent excessive property damage, and job training programs were implemented to help spur growth. All of this legislation was enacted through the use of cost benefit analysis to determine, over the long-term, how much money the state can save (Hartman, 2006).

In conclusion, both elitism and ration choice theory can have a dramatic impact on society, policy making, and emergency response. As mentioned above, elitism, when used in an extreme many, can have severely adverse consequences on society. Aspects such as rapid inequality, lack of opportunity, economic inefficiencies, and a stagnating middle class wages, all harm society. In regards to policy making, only those with the resources, which are often elite, will be able to enact policy. This policy will inevitably benefit the elite at the expense of the already burdened middle class. Tax policy for instance, provides preferential treatment predominately to the elite. If left unabated, policy such as emergency response metrics…… [Read More]

Sociology and Hurricane Katrina the

Some never will be, due to the damage and loss sustained after the hurricane and floods. The society is New Orleans is still suffering because they have lost the order that was there, and are struggling to rebuild it, often without the support of any outside sources. It has taken too long to try to get New Orleans back to normal, and there are questions that wonder if it will ever be remotely close to the place it was before the hurricane.

In the functionalist approach, parts of society are interrelated. That certainly illustrates New Orleans after the hurricane, because the society has struggled so hard to come back together. Restaurants have reopened, Mardi Gras has continued, the French Quarter tries to lure visitors, and the businesses are coming back, some more slowly than others. Many people are determined to rebuild the city and make it better than it was before, but society is divided, and with these divisions, come problems. The functionalist approach assumes all aspects of the society are there and working together, but this is not the case with New Orleans, and so, it is dysfunctional, rather than functional, suffering more from conflict than functionality.

The interactionist…… [Read More]

Encyclopedia Hurricane Katrina Is Estimated

This also seemed to follow a pattern set by the 911 disaster (prior warning signs were ignored by governing officials then as well).

The article brings to the reader's attention the problem at hand, which is that there are three main proposals being debated to prevent any further severe coastal damage in this region. All of them are very expensive and this seems to lie with the way the work will be contracted. The author (Michael Fischetti) even includes that the Army Core of Engineers is usually the group who would handle the design and the building of any safety structures (71).

Most of the information in this article has been common knowledge but can easily be referenced if one wished to verify the information contained within. It is rather disappointing that the article does not include any journal citations to make the reader's job of checking for accuracy less tedious. The author does however include a collection of topographical maps and design graphs that greatly contribute to the article's clarity as well as quoting from several sources of personal communication (67-71).

The author details the problems and the three main solutions offered as well as to recognize the cost.…… [Read More]

DHS and Hurricane Katrina

HLS-355: CRITICAL THINKING FOR HOMELAND SECURITY Final Project

The fight against Hurricane Katrina in a political environment set on fighting terrorism

Improving security can be a particularly challenging mission and this makes a critical thinking technique particularly useful for a person or a community to effectively strengthen their position and legislations. One of the first things that someone dealing with the concept needs to consider is the fact that security can never be one hundred percent foolproof. Even the most advanced security systems can be defeated and caring for such a system thus entails having to be in constant alert and to attempt to improve it every minute. The better a security system is, the harder it is for a criminal to defeat it and the more successful the individuals benefiting from it are.

Many individuals have a limited understanding of the idea of security, as they only tend to associate it with either things leaving an environment or things entering it. However, a situation can actually involve both and it can be much more complex. Something as seemingly irrelevant as sentiments can play an important role in threatening a security system, to the point where a person is able…… [Read More]

Natural Disasters Hurricane Katrina Destroyed

An effective public transportation system has several positive effects including reducing local and regional energy expenditures; reducing dependence on fossil fuels and foreign energy supplies; improving the quality of life in the region as a whole; linking New Orleans with surrounding regions more effectively to stimulate clustered economic growth; and reducing income disparity by increasing access to jobs, public services, and educational institutions. An effective transportation system is also tourist-friendly and New Orleans has historically relied on tourist dollars as a large percentage of its economy. Finally, a networked transportation system will create jobs.

One of the great challenges in rebuilding New Orleans is overcoming the overwhelming setbacks that have already occurred during the rebuilding process. Rescue efforts were hampered by federal mismanagement of FIMA; the displacement of residents has never been fully remedied by state and federal government; insurance companies have stranded their customers, leading to deep and potentially irreversible economic depression in the region. New Orleans is at a pivotal point in the rebuilding process. If enough positive action is taken now, the city can avoid misallocating precious funds. New Orleans must rebuild itself as a socially just, economically viable, and progressive American city.… [Read More]

Photograph Hurricane Katrina 2005

questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5019431816

Garrett, Brandon L., and Tania Tetlow. "Criminal Justice Collapse: The Constitution after Hurricane Katrina." Duke Law Journal 56.1 (2006): 127+. Questia. 1 Mar. 2009 http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5019431816.

Images of Hurricane Katrina, found online at http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=looting%20hurricane%20katrina&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi,2005,retrieved 1 March 2009.

Images of Brittany Spears, found online at http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://judicial-inc.biz/81b.ri1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://thisiszionism.blogspot.com/2008/01/brittany-spears-rushed-to-hospital.html&usg=__uoZgO_FKCKQSYT3FQzen5-UUDYU=&h=317&w=405&sz=27&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=HnAWV16M6qW9DM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbrittany%2Bspears%2Bhome%2Bchildren%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG,retrieved1 March 2009.

Bloggerhead.com, found online at, retrieved 1 March 2009.… [Read More]

Income Gap Hurricane Katrina Stuck

For instance we can take the examples of African-Americans, the events and issues show that some ethnic groups had to struggle hard to stay ahead in the social fabric of American society.

Conclusion

The living conditions of poor and middle segment of the society are main indicators of the health of economy and income distribution. While in developing nations the plight of the poor and even middle segments of society is well-known. Developed nation like United States have not been associated with poverty and the poor treatment of certain segments of society. Recent event have made people argue that over the years issues of poverty and unequal income distribution have hit America in a big way. These issues now can not be brushed under the carpet as the issues are being debated at all forums. People have accepted the grim fact that Income gap exists in American Society and these issues need to be addressed. Measures should be taken to narrow the gap if America wants to strengthen its economy in the years to come because income gaps create disorder and disturbs the whole social fabric of the society.… [Read More]

Mardi Gras Before Hurricane Katrina

the nineteenth century saw the Mardi Gras celebration banned, but when it were restored in New Orleans in the 1820s it was a great equalizing force, allowing African-Americans -- man of them still slaves -- the freedom to drum and celebrate in ways they were unable to almost anywhere else or at any other time (Carnaval 2000). The celebrations are still a great equalizer, brining together people of all classes and backgrounds in a racous celebration of life.… [Read More]

Hurricane Sandy Issues and Arguments

So that is one step we can take. Here is a different one.

Nowadays we regularly file environmental impact statements showing the insinuation for the environment of this or that responsibility (a new strip mine, an undeveloped establishment another airport, a dump yard…you can provide any one of hundreds of examples). We ought to in this similar fashion file statements showing the force of real estate development; the building of structures, dams, and levees; and other main projects -- on the augmented vulnerability to hazards they will compel on others. In this politically charged climate, this will look like to many like another unrequited federal "undertaking," but why should my self-determination extend to building a levee to defend my property that will augment the risk to your property downstream on that same river? Should I not have to check with you? The obligation for Environmental Impact Statements prompted numerous complaints at the period, but nowadays, we have internalized the procedure. It is a conventional part of doing commerce. And it is the correct thing to do. That is the comparable intent of the No-Adverse-Impact policy recommendation of the Alliance of State Floodplain Managers (Hurricane Sandy: Covering the Storm).

A third…… [Read More]

Katrina for Finding and Framing

Developing a critical eye for the media also demands culling information from multiple sources and not believing everything stated by the media. The media is not an authority; the media consults authority figures to gather sellable data.

For "They Shoot Helicopters, Don't They?"

1. Matt Welch cites general "communication breakdown" and an "information vacuum" as main culprits in the misinformation leaked about Katrina (p. 13). However, Welch places the blame squarely on reporters for not having enough skepticism of the oral sources they acquire information during a natural disaster. Rumors spread readily during a disaster also because of a breakdown in telecommunications infrastructure. What Welch refers to as a:rumor mill" seems to be the source of much of the media's coverage (p. 13).

2. The kinds of rumors and stories spread by reporters and enhanced by sensationalist media coverage suggest that various lenses are used to view reality. One of those perceptual lenses is that lawlessness and chaos characterize American life. Reporters covering New Orleans during the Katrina disaster expected that people were shooting at rescue helicopters, looting indiscriminately, and generally acting hostile to government workers. Although some of the rumors helped to mobilize assistance to the region out of…… [Read More]

Katrina Children Lost Forgotten and

For children, going to school, even a new school, provided a sense of order. It also gave parents time to plan for the future. Wealthier parents were able to enroll their children in private schools. Poorer families faced a greater struggle.

In Texas, officials reported enrolling19,000 children displaced by the storm (Katrowitz and Breslau, 2005). They were able to waive normal rules, such as proving residency or providing immunization records. The opportunity to start over was critical for thousands of families, including Kathy Jemison and her daughter, Sarah McClelland, 17. The night before the storm hit, they gathered their clothes, keepsakes and important documents (such as birth certificates and Social Security cards). As the storm was destroying their home, they drove 15 hours to a friend's house in San Antonio. Sarah began her senior year at San Antonio's MacArthur High School, and Kathy, who worked for a bank in New Orleans, was able to find a new job.

Making the transition to a new school can be very difficult, especially during the first few weeks. "School gives kids structure," says Lynne Tan, a psychiatrist at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y (Katrowitz and Breslau, 2005). "You have adults around…… [Read More]

Katrina Communications Failures in Public

It has also been noted that the communication plans and protocols that were in place had not been properly communicated to all necessary parties, such that even the preparations and infrastructure that existed for the express purpose of dealing with emergency events were not properly utilized (White House 2007). 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…… [Read More]

Hurricane Andrew the Impact Hurricane

Despite there being a "Federal Response Plan" in place, the bureaucratic machinery took a long time to activate. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which was supposed to implement the Federal Response Plan, was hardly in a state to respond adequately to the situation. The Agency was still geared to respond primarily to a massive nuclear attack and saw its main responsibility as distributing federal loans and grants to help rebuild an area after a disaster. It would not issue direct aid to a state until it was given a specific request by the governor, and the state was unable to issue specific requests for aid because it had no one was available to assess the damage (Franklin). Federal help was so slow in arriving that a frustrated director of Dade County's Emergency Office made the famous remark, "... Where the hell is the cavalry on this one?" (Quoted by Lerbinger, 61) the quote captured the overall sense of frustration and helplessness that disaster victims felt. Stung by the criticism of the federal response to the emergency, President Bush created a presidential task force headed by Transportation Secretary Andrew H. Card, Jr. For jump-starting the entire disaster response process. Although…… [Read More]

Analysis Hurricane Sandy and Katrina

Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy

Tropical cyclones can badly destroy settlements and structures along the coast. Recent destructive tropical cyclones such as the 2005 Katrina and the Sandy which happened in 2012 affirm that the destruction caused by a land-falling tropical cyclone is not merely dependent on its categorization on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale. The hurricane Sandy of 2012 caused a lot of destruction. Only the hurricane Katrina which happened in 2005 has caused more damage than Sandy. To reduce casualties from such calamities, the public needs to react promptly to any pre-storm decisions made by authorities (Kantha, 2013).

Government's Response to Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was indeed an out of the ordinary occurrence that brought with it great tragedy. Destroying a vast area of land, approximately 90000 square miles, it is the natural disaster that has caused most destruction in the history of America. Consider the fact that the area covered is the same size as the United Kingdom and you begin to picture the extent of the destruction. Mississippi saw thousands of people left out in the cold after the coastal communities got destroyed. New Orleans experienced devastating floods. The result was that at least 1500 people lost…… [Read More]

Historic Preservation of New Orleans After Katrina

Hurricane Katrina devastated one of the most culturally rich, vibrant, and unique cities in the United States. New Orleans lost a significant number of historical and natural icons, including the Naval Brigade Hall, which had been a hub of music during the heyday of jazz in the 1930s and 1940s. The Naval Brigade Hall was not only home to dances and concerts but also to a school of music. Until Katrina, the Naval Brigade Hall had been part of the National Park Service's jazz tour and had been slated to be renovated to house new condominiums because it was no longer being used as a music conservatory (Foster, 2005). Therefore, even before the hurricane hit, there was considerable tension between those developers who wished to transform the historical icon into profitable housing and historic preservationists. The Naval Brigade Hall was the first historic building to be demolished after Hurricane Katrina and symbolizes the challenges cities face when crises and disasters threaten to undermine the preservation of communities.

As Thorp (2006) points out, historic preservation has been "rightly viewed as a secondary consideration to the much more important priority of preserving human life," but there has lately been a "realization that…… [Read More]

Hurricane Hugo the Hurricane Season in the

Hurricane Hugo

The hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean begins runs from June to November, with the majority of activity coming in the middle of that season. Hurricanes typically begin life as low pressure systems over the ocean that, facing no obstacles (land), can gain in power such that their windspeeds increase to very high levels. When these hit land, they cause immense damage. Storms bring with them rain and waves, but are classified by their windspeeds. In the Atlantic, storms are categorized using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The first level of storm is a tropical depression, with speeds in excess of 38 mph. Once a storm becomes a tropical storm, it is named, and then once it becomes a hurricane it goes through five more categories. The highest, five, is a severely destructive storm if it makes landfall. Weaker hurricanes are destructive in the Caribbean and Central America, where infrastructure is less well-developed, but these storms can do damage to the United States as well. Hugo was one of the most damaging storms in the U.S., as measured by dollar value.

Hugo was already a category three hurricane (winds between 111-129 mph) on September 21, 1989. As meteorologists…… [Read More]

Hurricanes and Global Warming the

It is well-known that tropical cyclones form over warm water and it is the heat in the water from which they get their energy. Therefore it is reasonable to believe that warmer waters could increase hurricane intensity and activity. Warmer waters would translate into more energy to fuel the tropical cyclone and make their effects more pronounced. There is also evidence that global warming is contributing to changing circulation patterns.

Sea level rise due to warmer conditions which melts glaciers and sea ice can have a number of implications for the Earth's storm patterns. Many climate models have suggested that with warmer temperatures there would be higher wind speeds in hurricanes. In fact, one study shows a 70% increase since the mid-1970s of an index of hurricane activity related to the total power dissipation, which is proportional to the cube of the maximum wind speed, integrated over the lifetime of the storm (Anthes, et al., 2006). Therefore such a relationship would have significant implications for society on many levels. One such implication would be building codes and ensuring that vulnerable areas are able to withstand stronger storms with higher wind speeds. There are also implications for storm surges because these…… [Read More]

Compare and Contrast Psychological Impact of Katrina and Lusitania

psychological impact of Katrina & Lusitania

Hurricane Katrina which took place in the year 2005 is said to be one of the worst storm disaster that took place in the history of the United States. It led to loss of many lives, and it was unavoidable. The winds both from Louisiana to Alabama caused the level of water to arise at about 80% of the New Orleans and neighborhoods. The tragedy left many people with worries asking how the tragedy like that could happen to threaten the lives of many Americans (Brinkley, 2006).

The sinking of Lusitania on the other hand, contributed to various impacts on America as well as, the World War One. However, the Americans were never interested in joining the war unless they had finished another two years. The Lusitania sinking also enraged many Americans as well as, hastening the people from United States' entrance into the World War one. The disaster happened in few minutes as compared to Hurricane Katrina which took about two hours and forty minutes. This paper will analyze the Lusitania disaster and Hurricane Katrina as well as, giving the similarities and dissimilarities of the disasters. The paper also summarizes the psychology of…… [Read More]

Grief and Katrina Grief and

An organized effort, in this case, means knowing who is responsible for what, when the time comes. This prevents chaos in the event of a disaster. Planning for who is responsible for organizing a public memorial is the best way to quickly get the community back on the road to recovery.

Another aspect of the community plan needs to address special populations that may have difficulty accessing services. At-risk populations need to be identified in the plan and means needs to be addressed for making certain that they do not get left out. Special populations may include various ethnic groups with language difficulties, senior citizens, low socioeconomic status individuals, and others that may have special needs in the community. Perhaps this can be handled by a special task force or by agencies that are already in place to serve these special populations.

Every disaster is unique and every community is unique. Therefore, it is difficult to devise a plan that will work in every situation. There are simply too many unknowns. However, the aftermath of Katrina emphasized the need for a concerted community effort and the need for a plan to be in place for the provision of mental health…… [Read More]

Post-Hurricane Criminal Justice Katrina Post-Hurricane

" The lawsuit states that the "defendants knowing paid out far less than policy holders deserved to repair flooded homes and property [Officials throughout NFIP] deliberately and fraudulently used low-balling, high pressure tactics to get people to accept pennies on the dollar of what they are entitled to. (Seid, 2005)

In an article entitled "Multiple Failures Caused Relief Crisis - The Breakdown of the Relief Operation in New Orleans was the Result of Multiple Failures by City, State and Federal Authorities" (Reynolds, 2005 BBC News) which states: There was no one cause. The failures began long before the hurricane with a gamble that a Category Four or Five would not strike New Orleans." (Reynolds, 2005 BBC News) This mistake followed with an evacuation plan that was lacking and resulted in "a relief effort hampered by lack of planning, supplies and manpower, and a breakdown in communications of the most basic sort." FEMA expressed confidence in its readiness. However, the statement of Michael Brown, was a lame warning stating only "There's still time to take action now, but you must be prepared and take shelter and other emergency precautions immediately." One wonders why he did not state that the inhabitants of…… [Read More]

Economic Impact of Katrina Impact

This is a pattern that is relatively consistent over a long time period (Clayton & Spletzer, 2006). The only difference in 2005 was that unemployment claims did not rise in the fourth quarter with the drop in jobs, as they had done in the past.

It is difficult to draw definitive conclusions as to where these employees went in the fourth quarter of 2005. To do so would be filled with generalizations that do not account for all of the factors involved. However, it can be surmised that in the fourth quarter of 2005, workers in New Orleans went elsewhere and were dispersed into other economies. Statewide numbers do not support a change that is significantly different from other years. Therefore, it does nor= appear that this diaspora had an impact on a state or national level. The only reasonable explanation is that unlike other years, where workers filed unemployment and stuck around the are waiting for first quarter employment to pick up the pace, after Katrina these workers left for higher ground.

On a local level, Hurricane Katrina has a measurable impact on New Orleans and the area surrounding New Orleans. The state of Louisiana had to absorb some…… [Read More]

Haiti Is Not Katrina Custom

Tierney draws another comparison between Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti by describing the people who were most affected by the disasters. She claims that Katrina affected people who were least able to help themselves, such as the poor and the disabled, but many people were able to escape. Haiti, however, is one of the poorest nations in the world. The majority of the population lives in chronic poverty. Katrina affected the only the most vulnerable segments of the Gulf Coast population, but in Haiti the entire population is vulnerable.

Haiti is different from the Gulf Coast in that the island nation ranks very low in health, levels of education, and household income. Unlike the United States, the nation of Haiti had a great deal of difficulty providing even the most basic services for its people before the disaster. The political system of the United States is relatively stable, but Haiti has suffered from "dictators, political coup and savage violence" for a long time. The disaster in Haiti is different from the catastrophe seen on the Gulf Coast during Hurricane Katrina in that the people are less educated, have few available services, and have a long history of political…… [Read More]

Heat Deaths and Illnesses Post-katrina Reforms

While the city does have a good levee system, it failed during Katrina and many parts of the city - including much of the Lower Ninth Ward - was flooded. People lost their lives and everything they had, and the argument made by many individuals in the aftermath of Katrina was that not enough was done by the government in order to protect the people of New Orleans and to help them out after the storm had passed. Criminal activity was on the rise when the city was attempting to recover from Katrina. Looting and pillaging were common, and they were not the only issues post-Katrina survivors had to face (Springgate, et al., 2009). There were rooftop rescues and other serious concerns, along with many health and safety issues. Of course, not everything that was said about New Orleans after Katrina was true. Many of the reports of criminal activity were fabricated, and some of them were exaggerated (Springgate, et al., 2009).

The same results that happened after Katrina could happen again today, but those results would not be as likely because of the public outcry that took place post-Katrina. There are better levee systems in New Orleans now, and…… [Read More]

Lessons Learned From Katrina

Hurricane Andrew and Katrina, hurricanes are never a good thing and are always a logistical nightmare. However, those two hurricanes stand out among many others as the death and destruction they rendered was off the charts. Looters and the "strangers" mentioned in the assignment parameters tend to be common as the degenerates of society always take advantage of such calamities. However, some strangers are simply just looking for loved ones. However, people coming into the area other than trained and well-equipped emergency personnel are the last thing a hurricane zone needs. This and other questions will be addressed in this report. While any hurricane response strategy is going to be controlled chaos, there are some best practices that need to be employed.

Analysis

One plan that needs to be implemented right off the top is a cordoning off of the worst areas, especially those that are impassable, so as to prevent looting and additional people from being hurt or needing to be saved. People should only be leaving the area while it is being searched and verified for bodies and such. People that are engaging in any criminal activity should be arrested and taken in for charges. They should be…… [Read More]

What Is the Best Hurricane Model for Insurance Company

Insurance in Illinois

Hurricanes and Insurance Burdens & Considerations

The insurance industry in the United States is a major economic force in the country, but is the largest commercial entity regulated at a state, rather than a federal level. This has been the case since the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945. An insurance policy company mush go through regulation on a state-to-state level, where policies and practices often differ. While outsourcing has been a major business force in most other financial markets, insurance companies are largely American-owned and traded due to the obstacle that state by state regulation poses on foreign influences (Lehrer 2010).

Due to the fact that Illinois in an inland state, it is geographically protected from most major hurricanes, although tropical system remnants that move in from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean do move up onto the area occasionally. The majority of data regarding the effects of weather extremes in the state of Illinois pertains to the effect of hail on crop health. Hurricane Ike, however, created severe damage and problems for inland North America, including Illinois (Associated Press 2009).

The major effect of Hurricane Ike in Illinois was flooding, which was rampant along the…… [Read More]

Beyond Katrina

Beyond Katrina

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines meditation, in basic terms, as "a discourse intended to express its author's reflections or to guide others in contemplation." In an interview with Jonathan Fink, Trethewey reveals that her text is aimed at recollecting people's historical and collective memory (Hall 85). This is the only sure way to deal with the issue of history-erasure, and have a more complete version. The author's aim, therefore, is to "reclaim and to get as many of those erased stories back into the larger narrative" (Hall 85).

This section's main focus is showing the degree of importance attached to commercialized activities, at the expense of the environment, and people's safety. However, other points of concern are: the state's tendency to forget about the victims of such catastrophes, the change in the social aspect of people's lives after Hurricane Katrina, and the large extent of erasure facing such historical occurrences.

Effect of Commercialized Activities

Gulfport experienced massive economic growth in the late 1940s, attracting a large number of business developers. The rise in business developments brought more opportunities for employment, leading to growth of both the population and commercialized activities. The economic success continued through the 1950s and 60s,…… [Read More]

Hospitals Hurricanes and Other Disasters

catastrophic events can impact hospital risk financing, the purchasing of new physical property and insurance. Catastrophes can range from terrorist acts like 9/11 to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina to biological endemics/outbreaks that shut down entire cities for days as medical teams race to erect quarantines in order to stop the spread. Each catastrophe has its own unique fall-out and impact. Terrorist attacks call for higher alert by law enforcement authorities and demand more scrutiny and optimum records keeping by hospitals, for safety's sake. Natural disasters call for optimum coordination among the various impacted medical facilities so that the best and highest quality care can be delivered in a collaborative fashion to those in need who are detrimentally affected. And biological outbreaks can be threatening to hospitals especially as they are in the business of treating patients who might have come into contact with a deadly illness and thus have to safeguard against these issues. Thus, there are a variety of impacts -- from safety and security to team work and coordination to careful consideration and knowledge of what to do when a life-threatening instances occur.

While a terrorist attack like 9/11 is viewed as a "worst case scenario" by…… [Read More]

Incident Commander Responses

Hurricane Response Issues

The purpose of this essay is to highlight and describe the various details that are inherent within a disaster. This essay will focus on a recent hurricane event that demands the attention of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and includes the necessary actions by the Incident Commander (IC). The current status of the problem is post hurricane and extra medical supplies are needed. Along with this problem lies the issue of drinking water, food and temporary shelter. There is also continuous rain falling as floods are threatening the well being of both the residents of this area and the rescue effort itself.

Decisions

Prioritizing during emergency responses is a very necessary thing to do in order to survive these troubling situations. Leadership is necessary in these cases to provide guidance and a sense of faith and hope in times of peril and danger. In hurricane response situations, the Incident Commander must be able to identify the most harmful threats and decide to action against such threats to allow the rescue effort to prevail.

Bucci et al. (2012) echoed this call for preparedness as a means to counter balance the many problems that are sure to manifest during…… [Read More]

Analysis of Asbestos Exposure

Hurricanes are frequent in certain parts of the United States like Florida. The most prevalent toxin that can wreak havoc after a hurricane is asbestos. "Asbestos is a naturally-occurring mineral that was used extensively up until its dangers became truly evident in the last quarter century. It was used in nearly all aspects of home and building construction because of its fire-retardant and insulation qualities" ("Asbestos Removal after a Hurricane -- Safe handling of asbestos," 2016). While Asbestos does not present an immediate danger when left undisturbed, after a hurricane, potential flooding could release the particles into the air through structural damage of buildings, floors, and pipes lined with asbestos. When released into the air, the particles become 'friable' and can affect humans in a deadly way through diseases of the lung like mesothelioma.

The exposure limit is 0.1 fiber/cm3TWA 1.0 fiber/cm3 Excursion Limit (30 minutes). The target organs are stomach and lungs and can cause colon cancer and mesothelioma. The lowest feasible concentration for exposure is 0.1 fiber/cm3 for fibers >5µm Ca. There are various names for asbestos, six in total. Some are Amosite asbestos, Crocidolite asbestos, and Actinolite asbestos. What accounts for 95% of commercially used asbestos is…… [Read More]