Dhs Failure

Improved Essays
The ability to predict precisely when and where the next natural disaster, industrial accident, or terrorist attack will strike is limited. And, given the circumstances and difficulty of predicting which adversary will strike and how it will strike, DHS did the best they could. When it came to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. A main circumstances of DHS leadership failing was the inability to understand Katrina as an incident of national significance on par with September 11 2001 (9/11). Instead, they responded to the disaster as if it was a routine natural disaster until it was too late. After Katrina made landfall, authorities understood the devastation was serious but, due to the destruction and response capabilities, lacked

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Abstract Stephen Flynn believes that there are goals of homeland security that are crucial to America’s bureaucracies and he senses that the country is wasting the chance to really protect the United States. Stephen discusses two crucial mistakes that he feels America has made and the first mistake is that he discusses is how homeland security is separated from national security. The two key intelligence agencies are not communicating. The second issue, he discusses is how our infrastructure is penetrable. In this lesson Stephen Flynn sees a problem with tactical thinking within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Knowledge about Hurricane recovery as a process and as a definable component of the emergency management cycle was slim. There was little interest in the process per se. Only one of four counties visited had a completed recovery component in its emergency management plan at the time of Hugo hit. This Deficiency was tied in with the generally low level of knowledge, experience, and functional skill in emergency management (Donal D. Hook, September 10-22, 1989 (SPRING 1991)). 2.…

    • 2356 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Eco/372 Week 1

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In regards to this week’s discussion, I would like to discuss the lapse in preventative measures that were neglected prior to the event in conjunction with the communication failures discussed by Cooper and Block in chapter 7. Before I discuss the lapse in communicating the dire situation to Secretary Chertoff by Brown, one should note issues in planning, communication, leadership, and unsatisfactory camaraderie amongst department heads were identified far in advance. The emergency response to Hurricane Katrina could have been mitigated via the various long-term warnings presented in our early readings. Poor communication only exacerbated the consequences that ensued, as leadership failed to heed advisory reports, warranted consultation, and exercise input. First, Cooper & Block (2006) annotate the issue of the drainage system for the major canals as poorly engineered with a levee system constructed for cost efficiency rather than structural integrity.…

    • 437 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Hurricane Katrine was known as one of the worst hurricanes in history. Roughly about 1,800 were killed and millions become homeless after the flood. People questioned if government help New Orleans prepare for the mass destruction. Looking back to Hurricane Katrine and the damage that has be caused to New Orleans, we could say that public administration failed to protect those people who they serve. Per the article, New Orleans spent thousands of dollars widening ship channels, building parks, and investing in on-water gambling instead of managing their money where it was most important.…

    • 108 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Fema Mission Statement

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The primary missions of DHS included acting as a focal point regarding natural and manmade crises and emergency planning and ensuring that the overall economic security of the U.S. is not diminished by efforts, activities, and programs aimed at securing the homeland (DHS.gov). FEMA was integrated into DHS in 2003 and became part of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. The mission was to focus on preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation of disasters. Because of DHS’ many missions, personnel and the emergency management community began complaining that DHS was removing authorities and resources from FEMA. DHS’s focus on terrorism instead of planning, preparation and response to natural disasters, was hurting morale and progress (FEMA: in or out?, 2009).…

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Measures In an increasingly global world the domestic terrorism of the past has shifted dramatically towards international terrorism. Events like 9/11, San Bernadino, Orlando, Fort Hood, and others have been engrained in the minds of the American people. Emergency Managers reduce the vulnerability to hazards and respond to disasters that are increasingly becoming more interconnected and interdependent (Lynch, 2016). Emergency Manager’s must focus on systemic changes designed to detect, deter, and respond to terrorism.…

    • 786 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In an effort to expedite the recovery process and to gain a comprehensive knowledge of the damage of the hurricane, several agencies deployed damage assessment teams. FEMA, for example, deployed a Mitigation Assessment Team (MAT) on September 26 to conduct aerial and ground observations (Hurricane Katrina Mitigation Assessment Team, 2006). Based on what was observed and reported, preliminary estimates report that Katrina had caused approximately $5.5 billion in damage to infrastructure, roads, and bridges, up to 350,000 damaged vehicles and 2,400 damaged ships, and 450,000 displaced people. Additionally, the report states that some 800,000 Louisiana residents requested assistance from various State and Federal relief agencies (Hurricane Katrina Mitigation Assessment Team,…

    • 1636 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When the levees broke in the 2005 hurricane the United States was standing on it’s heels and was far from being prepared for an event like…

    • 681 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    George W. Bush Influence

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The hurricane hit the Gulf of Mexico and destroyed vast portions of the surrounding area. President Bush had appointed “political cronies” to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) top positions. These “cronies” were quick to enact major cuts in FEMA’s budget and provided a poor execution in terms of preparation for Hurricane Katrina. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and by 10 PM, 80% of this city was underwater. Although most of the city had fled from their homes and businesses, about 15,000 people were unable to evacuate due to poverty.…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast with the force of a nuclear explosion. Less than 12 hours later, more than 80% of New Orleans was submerged in water. The resulting damage is predicted to have cost $300 billion and to have taken at least 1,400 lives. The progress in which cities along the Gulf Coast has amazed much of America, especially in New Orleans. As The New York Times stated, “It is a wonder that any of it is there at all.”…

    • 1018 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Danny Glover once stated, “When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf and the floodwaters rose and tore through New Orleans, it did not turn the region into a Third World country…it revealed one” (Glover). In the wake of this darkness, Hurricane Katrina proved to America that as a nation, there was no way to prepare for a disaster of this size. As the winds raged on and the waters crashed against the coast, ultimately drowning out around 80% of the state, Hurricane Katrina proved to be more than just a category five hurricane, proving to be historical, holding a position of the third deadliest hurricane that has affected the United States of America. Three reasons Hurricane Katrina proved unpreparedness were; The New Orleans levee system was…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Katrina was responsible for billions of dollars of physical damage, which made most of the city inhabitable for quite some time. In conjunction with the physical damage, but it also took an emotional toll on its occupants; a common hurt felt around the state, which…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Critics state that there wasn 't enough done to prepare for the disaster, as well as not enough done after the disaster. Again, Blanco, like Nagin, attempted to place blame onto FEMA, thinking that by submitting a request for aid to President Bush would be enough, and that her job was done. Blanco appears to be looking out for her own self interest, rather than the interests of the people she governed. Michael D. Brown, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), during Hurricane Katrina, was wholly unprepared for the disaster. After being appointed by President Bush, Brown had numerous failures during and after Hurricane Katrina.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Debris was then covering the streets and that with the emergency officials not responding in time, the bit of people that were left were now screaming for help while trying to survive the power of Katrina. The some people were rescued and others had to get to safety on their own, other less fortunate people who didn’t find safety died. Long term effects of Katrina were that many people lost their life leaving there family’s in grief of what happened, the city was destroyed, race wars commenced and as for the government they had to deal with the aftermath of everything that went on as the city of New Orleans as well as try and restore all the damage that was…

    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chapter 8 – Local vs. National Authority In Chapter 8 of Thirteen American Arguments, Fineman discusses the tensions between local and national authority. (a) List five issues that Fineman deals with directly in the book and briefly describe how each of those issues create tension between local and national authority. Hurricane Katrina revealed a fault in American politics. Although they had predicted the dangers, neither the federal government nor the state government was in command.…

    • 1445 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays