Catastrophes in Crisis Management

Catastrophes in Crisis Management

Summary of Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating storms that impacted the coast of United States in the last 100 years. The most tedious and destructive hurricane hit the United States on August 23, 2005. This was also the biggest natural catastrophe to ever strike the United States, claiming more than 8000 casualties when the storm surge caught the residents of state (NCDC, 2005). This disaster resulted in greatest environmental damages as well. Hurricane Katrina devastated portions of USA's central Gulf of Mexico coast from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida panhandle. Its immense size and high winds led to storm-surge conditions that resulted in widespread environmental damage as well as high number of injuries/casualties (Cappello, 2005).

(Source: Dart, 2013)

Hurricane Katrina was not a man-made disaster, but a natural catastrophe. A reason behind this catastrophe is tropical cyclone activity, as this activity was higher than usual in the Atlantic basin since 1995, and eventually resulted in huge natural disaster. The deadliest hurricane, Hurricane Katrina, was first developed as a tropical depression and ultimately strengthened into a tropical storm. This storm moved throughout Florida and north to the central cost of Gulf, and cultivated into a category of 5 hurricane. Due to these high wind speeds over water of Gulf, hurricane Katrina increased in size; however, weakened to a Category 4 prior to making landfall 3 times (Cappello, 2005).

Intergovernmental Jurisdictions, Technology, & Funding

In response to Hurricane Katrina an inter-governmental (local, state, and federal) and cross-sectoral (non-profit, private, and public) networks of actors emerged. The development of National Response Plan in 2004 sought to formalize the responsibilities and roles of at least certain key actors in crisis response. Such plans determined a series of Emergency Support Functions for various federal actors in order to offer support to FEMA. FEMA played a role for this large-scale catastrophe as a coordinator, arranging the competences of the federal government, while working with respondents within state (Moyniha, 2009).

In a response and recovery phase of Hurricane Katrina disaster, few technological tools are identified that were used to restore the situation back to normal. Such as American Red Cross used GIS as part of its hurricane emergency management strategy and relief efforts. Spatial analysis, computer mapping, and GIS web services were used for assistance in providing communities as well as displaced people with clothing, food, shelter, and other ...