HLSC 510 Discussion 8
Based on the readings from our textbook, as well as various other related sources, I have
grown to believe the average citizen expects too much from the various levels of government
when it comes to disaster management. Regarding terrorism related matters, I believe Americans
have become accustomed to the unpredictability of attacks and likely understand there are simply
some actions that cannot be prevented. Over the years, we have seen colossal failures by the
government, but we have also seen some levels of success. Regarding preparation and planning,
there have been great improvements that came as a result of hard lessons learned. Especially with
regards to terrorism related matters. The federal government created institutions and
organizations that worked to mitigate and the risks of terrorism. Most Americans rightly trusts
and expects the various levels of government to protect citizens from the threats of international
terrorism.
When it comes to natural disasters, time and time again we have seen citizens choose to
simply sit back and wait for the government to come to the rescue. An example that comes to
mind is the devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that hit New Orleans. Like all hurricanes,
there were forecast models predicting the storms impact days before. An evacuation order was
issued in which many did not or could not comply with. Ultimately the Superdome was used as
an emergency shelter during the storm’s arrival. Packed to the gills with at least 20,000 residents
the conditions inside became unsafe requiring a secondary evacuation to the neighboring coastal
of Houston, Texas. New Orleans residents were jammed into the Astrodome and other shelters
following Katrina. Only three weeks later, hurricane Rita became a threat to coastal cities such as
Galveston, Texas. The evacuated residents of New Orleans had to again be displaced to other
cities to make room for residents in Galveston that needed to evacuate inland to the Houston area
shelters. Many New Orleans residents had nowhere to go and insufficient means to support
themselves, instead being entirely dependent on the federal government to take care of them.
From a response and recovery perspective, FEMA did a terrible job organizing resources and
coordinating the federal government's response. FEMA's unwillingness to allow firefighters or
ambulance crews or respond without first being mobilized by the local and state authorities
demonstrated the ineptitude of FEMA. Even worse was the prevention of organizations such as
the Red Cross from coming into the city to provide much needed assistance.
Surprisingly was the level of individual preparation by the residents impacted by Katrina.
Most took no real precautions to protect themselves from the storms possible impact. Again, this
demonstrated expecting too much from the various levels of government. Preparation and
mitigation did not seem to be a priority for the citizens or the local government. “It was
estimated that less than 40 percent of the victims of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi and
Louisiana had flood insurance to cover their losses” (Sylves, 2019, p. 32). This led to massive
losses as a result and the city was forever changed. The citizens had a choice to take measures to
be prepared, but many simply chose to do nothing.
You would think that the lessons learned regarding having necessary flood insurance
would have been demonstrated over a decade later when Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in 2017.
Similar to New Orleans, Houston is a fairly low-lying city prone to flooding. According to an
article in Forbes, “In Houston’s Harris County only 15% of homes have flood insurance”
(Sylves, 2019, p. 32). Similarly, in the Corpus Christi and surrounding areas it is estimated only
20% were covered”. This demonstrated that once again, people had high expectations for the
government to take care of them. Despite major improvements to FEMA and the federal
response capabilities, the government still has a habit if under-delivering in many ways.
I found this course to be both challenging, but it reinforced what I already believed
regarding many aspects of homeland security. I always understood homeland security to be a
massive discipline made up of many professionals within the federal government. Over the last
eight weeks, I learned more and more about how large and multi-faceted this field truly is. Being
an airline pilot, I came into this class with a fair understanding of the Department of Homeland
Security and of course the Transportation Security Administration. What I came to understand is
how closely linked many other organizations like FEMA were to the overall big picture of
homeland security. I would say the most meaningful thing I learned in this class was how far
back the history of homeland security went back. History provides ample learning opportunities
for those in the field of emergency management and homeland security. There are countless
volumes of information available that should be studied to best prepare and develop our skills.
This is one of the most important things I believe I learned from taking this course.
It was easy to become caught up in the desire to seek revenge after the horrific attacks
that happened on September 11, 2001. As an airline pilot, I was furloughed from my dream job
for over 44 months and there was a level of hatred for the terrorists who perpetrated these
attacks. I always sought comfort from the bible when reading the Bible where it says, “Dearly
beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is
mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (King James Bible, 2017/1769, Romans 12:19). These words
helped fan my passion for homeland security in another direction. I chose to become involved
with the Department of Homeland Security serving to protect our country from evildoers. Just as
the Bible says, “Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it” (King James Bible,
2017/1769, Psalms, 34:14). The work I have chosen to do is most definitely good and in the
pursuit of peace.
References
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org
(Original work published 1769)
Sylves, R. T. (2019). Disaster Policy and Politics (3rd Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US).
https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781506368702
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