Homeland Security Case 3
SSGO
Module3SLP3.docxModule 3 SLP 3 4
Disaster Management
Recently Widespread Disasters in the United States
Some of the widespread disasters in the United States include; wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and winter storms. Wildfires have become a common occurrence in the United States. For instance, in the year 2021, wildfires began in the central and western parts of Kansas. The fire resulted in the death of two individuals and injuries to three other individuals. It is also prudent to note that the wildfires destroyed approximately 163,000 acres of wildlife and about 42 structures. The second form of widespread disaster in the United States is tornadoes (LeComte, 2019). The most recent tornado occurred on December 10th, 2021 in Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, and Arkansas. This disaster led to the deaths of approximately 90 individuals and injured many more. Hurricanes have also become one of the most widespread disasters in the United States due to the proximity of most states to water bodies. The most recent hurricane popularly known as hurricane Ida occurred and caused mass destruction along the gulf coast of Louisiana after which it moved north and led to the flooding of households. This hurricane led to the deaths of close to 115 individuals and serious destruction as well. The final widespread disaster in the United States is Winter storms. The most common winter storm occurred on February 13th, 2021. The worst hit state was Texas since it faced a power crisis due to the storms. The storms led to the deaths of 223 individuals.
An assessment of each disaster and how the Government responded to it
|
Disasters |
Assessment of the disasters |
Management Failures |
Management Successes |
Justification |
|
Wildfires |
Wildfires occur often in the United States. The most recent one occurred in Kansas on December 15th |
The management failure of wildfires is the inability of government agencies and NGOs to act on time. |
The government spent close to 2.3 million dollars to mitigate the losses experienced by individuals. |
The justification for the failures is close to 42 structures were lost while the successes are justifiable through the government's input of 2.3 million dollars. |
|
Tornadoes |
The most recent Tornado occurred on December 10th of 2021 in Kentucky which was badly hit by the tornado |
The management failure can be described as the inability of the government to prevent the death of 90 individuals |
The management's success is the government's input of approximately 3.9 billion dollars to facilitate loss mitigation. |
The justification of the failures is the losses that occurred as a result of the tornadoes while the successes can be justified through the government's input of 3.9billion dollars |
|
Hurricanes |
The latest hurricane was referred to as hurricane Ida and it led to massive destruction of life and property, especially in the state of Louisiana |
The management failure occurred as a result of the failure of state agencies to protect the lives of close to 115 individuals as well as their properties. |
The management's success is the government’s response to the disaster through the use of 65.25 billion dollars and the provision of social support to the affected families. |
The justification for the failures is the deaths of 115 individuals which were reported as a result of the hurricane while the justification for the successes is the resources used by the government to mitigate the losses. |
|
Winter Storms |
The latest winter storm to strike the United States was in February between the dates of the 13th to 17th. |
The management failure occurred as a result of the death of 237 individuals which the country was unable to prevent. |
The management's success is the use of 196.5 billion dollars to mitigate the losses that occurred as a result of the storms. |
The justification for the failures is the deaths and power crises that occurred as a result of the storms while the justification for the successes is the input of 196.5 billion dollars in mitigating the losses. |
Lessons Learnt from the Disasters
Various lessons can be learned from the wildfires that have been prevalent in the United States. One of the lessons is that the United States has put in place measures to ensure that the fires are less destructive compared to the previous years. For instance, in 2017 and 2018, California experienced the largest wildfire. The second lesson that can be learned from the disaster of wildfire is that a quick response team can play critical in preventing such fires from causing massive destruction. This means that the states need to invest more in emergency services such as fire stations which will play a critical role in the suppression of such emergencies. The third lesson that can be learned from wildfires in the United States is that usually occur in areas that experience drought for most parts of the year. For instance, California experiences drought more than any other state hence the high levels of wildfires (Wibbenmeyer & McDarris 2021). The fourth lesson that can be learned from the wildfires leads to power losses which affect the economy of the country. It is therefore prudent for the government to come up with mechanisms that prevent power crises as was witnessed in the state of Texas. The final lesson that can be learned from the disaster of wildfires is that dry vegetation plays a critical role in enhancing the occurrence of such fires. Therefore, it is prudent for the government to come up with mechanisms that control the spread of dry vegetation.
Additional Actions that Could be taken by NGOs to Mitigate the Disasters
One of the actions that can be taken by NGOs in preventing wildfires is the sensitization of the public on the practices that they can take to minimize wildfires. This action will involve the use of the political class as well as the opinion shapers in ensuring that the citizens living close to forests do not engage in acts that instigate fires. The second action that can be taken by NGOs in mitigating the fires is the provision of foodstuffs and social amenities to individuals who have suffered losses as a result of the fires (Santos, Bento-Gonçalves & Vieira 2021). NGOs can also establish centers next to the areas that experience wildfires to conduct counseling services to individuals who will have difficulties in healing from the fires. The rationale behind this is that the fires can cause trauma to the affected individuals hence there is a need to establish such centers. Finally, the NGOs can also educate the fire departments on the mechanisms they can apply to suppress wildfires to avoid massive destruction.
References
LeComte, D. (2019). US weather highlights 2018: Another historic hurricane and wildfire season. Weatherwise, 72(3), 12-23. Available at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00431672.2019.1586492
Santos, S., Bento-Gonçalves, A., & Vieira, A. (2021). Research on Wildfires and Remote Sensing in the Last Three Decades: A Bibliometric Analysis. Forests 2021, 12, 604. Available at https://www.academia.edu/download/78998795/pdf.pdf
