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Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
Andrew J. Cichon
Introduction to Disaster Management, HLSC 600-B02
Helms School of Government, Liberty University
Prof. Angel Perez
Author Note
Andrew J. Cichon
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose
Correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed to Andrew J. Cichon
Email: acichon@liberty.edu
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Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
Abstract
The principles of disaster management are applied to all types of disasters, whether
natural or manmade, large or small. These principles are categorized into the phases of disaster
preparedness: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. In 2005, the United States faced
one of its greatest natural disasters in recordable history with the landfall of Hurricane Katrina.
Although no amount of preparation would have been able to prevent the catastrophic hurricane
from destroying property, some principles of disaster management could have prevented further
loss of life when coupled with the principles implemented before, during, and after the event.
The lessons learned from previous disasters, as well as from the events that unfolded before,
during, and after Hurricane Katrina, can be utilized to better prepare emergency managers for
future disasters.
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Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
Overview
While there are many forms of disasters that affect the communities and societies that
they hit, Hurricane Katrina was one of the costliest and most deadly disasters to affect the United
States. On August 23rd, 2005, Hurricane Katrina surfaced in the North Atlantic Ocean as a
tropical depression, and six days later made landfall as a category 4 hurricane in Louisiana (The
Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2022). No one was prepared for the amount of damage that
would take place over next 36 hours, and this was in part due to the breached structures and
levees that safeguarded much of the southern portions of Louisiana and Mississippi which sits
primarily below sea level. By September 6th, over 1,800 individuals lost their lives and an
estimated over $160 billion in damages were caused. Due to severe flooding in many areas
affected by Hurricane Katrina, the extent of damage was unknown until the Army Corps of
Engineers were able to successfully pump the floodwaters out of the cities affected. From these
actions, the federal government invested billions of dollars into the Army Corps of Engineers to
complete the task of building a new flood-defense network (De la Garza, 2021). Following
outcry of why the disaster caused so much catastrophe, there was a desire for blame to be put on
someone, but who?
In response to the fatalities and damages, the blame was heavily placed on the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, as well as the Bush administration (McGuire & Schneck,
2010). Since FEMA is the premier emergency management agency, a strong emphasis is placed
on the agency to successfully coordinate in the aid of communities that are affected by disasters.
However, the reality of the situation is that part of the blame should be placed on agencies at the
local and state levels as well prior to the events leading up to the hurricane. Being one of the first
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Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
major natural disasters after the official merge of FEMA into the Department of Homeland
Security, what unfolded in the communities affected by Hurricane Katrina should remain a
constant reminder to emergency managers at all levels that the phases of disaster management
must remain a top priority, especially in times of disaster.
Phases of the Disaster Life Cycle
As stated previously, FEMA is the premier leader in emergency management for the
nation, providing local, state, and federal agencies with the resources necessary to respond to all
phases of the disaster life cycle prior to, during, and after a disaster. FEMA’s mission is
summarized as helping people before, during, and after disasters, and providing the necessary
resource material to households and communities while allocating physical resources to local,
state, and federal agencies (FEMA, 2022). In regards to the events of Hurricane Katrina,
emergency managers’ capabilities were put to the test in the moments leading up to, during, and
after the disaster strikes.
Mitigation
Mitigative efforts during disaster are the cornerstones of emergency management and are
critical to decreasing the loss of property and life in the communities that are affected. As defined
in Introduction to Emergency Management, mitigation is “a set of strategies to reduce future
risks,” (Phillips et al., 2017, p. 284). Mitigation is broken down into two primary forms:
structural and non-structural. Structural mitigation tactics are often the most successful at
minimizing losses, but the main concern stems from the financial concerns that inhibit the costly
building of barriers and other physical structures in the environment. Non-structural mitigative
efforts are non-tangible, which include principles such as enforcement of codes, evacuation
notices, disaster preparedness activities, and insurance capabilities. The mitigative efforts during
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Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
the events of Hurricane Katrina were intended to lessen the impacts of the storm, but not level of
preparedness could have prevented loss entirely.
In preparation for disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, an emergency operations center
(EOC) in Gulfport, Mississippi was retrofitted with metal storm shutters that protected the
windows of the EOC. Because this EOC was in the area that took a direct hit from Hurricane
Katrina, had these shutters not been installed, “flying debris would have burst through the glass
windows and doors on the front of the building,” causing more casualties as a result of the storm
(FEMA, 2021). While flying debris may appear to be a minimal concern during hurricanes, it is
one of the top 3 primary causes of deaths during hurricanes (Haby, n.d.).
New Orleans was also another major city significantly affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Due to the poor maintenance of the levee systems built after previous hurricanes, as well as
improper planning of sufficient and strong flood protection, major flooding from storm surges
caused catastrophic damage and contributed to the large number of fatalities. An estimated 70%
of occupied homes in the city were flooded with the failure of the levee system, with the
remaining individuals who did not evacuate prior to the storm being forced to evacuate after the
storm had passed (Fussell, 2015). Sheltering could have prevented further loss of life as well;
however, this would rely on the individuals themselves to take shelter. The inaction to take
shelter by those residents who waved off the disaster threat resulted in the loss of those
individuals’ lives.
Preparedness
Of all the phases in the disaster life cycle, preparedness is the most important prior to a
disaster strike. This phase requires efforts from all levels of stakeholders, from the individual,
organizational, and community levels, and establishes different activities these levels can
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Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
participate in preparation for a disaster (Phillips et al., 2017). These efforts, however, are futile
without the combined effort as a community. Assessing for potential risk hazards is critical to
proper preparation of a disaster, and the emergency managers during Hurricane Katrina could
have potentially saved more lives if proper preparedness activities were followed.
One of the most significant efforts in preparedness prior to Hurricane Katrina was the
Hurricane Pam Exercise which was spearheaded by company Innovative Emergency
Management. This exercise was conducted in cooperation with FEMA and sought to identify the
risks of a potential strike from a Category 3 hurricane in Southeast Louisiana and subsequent
failure of the levee walls (Beriwal, 2006). Just as is expected in the preparedness phase,
“Hurricane Pam [Exercise] was designed to bring planners and decision-makers together from all
levels so they could begin to grapple collectively with response issues for a catastrophic event
and start the process of reviewing and reconciling their existing emergency plans,” (Beriwal,
2006, p. 2). In this plan, however, the idea of levee breaches was not entertained; rather,
overtopping of levees was the only preparation simulation accounted for. This preparedness
exercise did however urge decision-makers about the need for financial support to protect New
Orleans and fortify its existing systems against stronger hurricanes, but key decision-makers at
the time did not see a need for such support in the times prior to Hurricane Katrina. Because of
the inaction of key decision-makers, the catastrophic damage from the breaching of levees
occurred.
Response
The response phase in the disaster life cycle is the most often seen aspect of disaster and
emergency management by lay people, and the response efforts during Hurricane Katrina were
no different. Agencies from local, state, and federal levels were requested to assist in the
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response efforts of Hurricane Katrina to provide search and rescue operations, as well as
responses to typical emergencies in communities affected by the storm. Unfortunately, damage
sustained to critical infrastructure such as emergency communication networks made it nearly
impossible for emergency services crews to locate survivors by means of communication from
victims.
Because of this breakdown in emergency response, rescue teams were forced to perform
door-to-door searches for any survivors, which delayed much of the care that could have
potentially saved people’s lives (Banipal, 2006). Had emergency communications not been
destroyed, an appropriate triaging of victims could have been performed to provide the quickest
aid to those who were suffering from the most critical, but survivable, injuries, as well as faster
rescue efforts for those trapped in the floodwaters.
Response times from agencies across the nation also contributed to the lack of
appropriate response to Hurricane Katrina, to no fault of the emergency managers. Because there
was such a large geographical area affected by the storm, the sheer number of resources
necessary to respond to assist in search and rescue efforts exceeded those jurisdictions which
could assist from states just near the affected region. Agencies from the western- and northern-
most states needed multiple days of travel time to be able to get to the needed areas of assistance.
While personnel were able to be flown to a nearby airport, the vehicles necessary to perform
appropriate response efforts needed to be driven there.
Recovery
Recovery is often viewed as the final stage in the disaster life cycle, but it is merely the
step prior to beginning the disaster life cycle again for emergency managers. Recovery involves a
series of steps, classified as either short-term or long-term, that aid in the restoration of
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Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
communities (Phillips et al., 2017). Prior to Hurricane Katrina, there had never been a disaster
that caused the need to evacuate an entire metropolitan area, in conjunction with dispersing those
displaced throughout every state of the country. This was the largest relief effort in history by
The Red Cross with over 245,000 disaster workers assisting in the resource allocation of shelter,
food, and money to millions of people (American Red Cross, 2015).
Due to the lack of adequate disaster recovery planning, efforts of residents to return home
were futile due to the tremendous amounts of debris leftover in roadways, impeding on the
ability to return home. So many aspects of critical infrastructure were damaged or destroyed that
utilities were a secondary priority compared to what was deemed more important, such as
adequate emergency services. Pumping out of the floodwaters was also a priority, but this was
also delayed due to the additional rain caused by Hurricane Rita. No true recovery goals were
implemented in the disaster efforts, further contributing to a delay in recovery.
Recommendations
As made evident with the Hurricane Pam Exercise, it is critical for politicians and key
decision-makers to understand the risks associated within their communities that leave them
vulnerable to disaster. Performing more in-depth risk assessments can lead to the successful
identification of target hazards during disasters, and these assessments can lead emergency
managers to fighting for the proper resources necessary prior to a disaster from happening.
Maintenance of already placed structural mitigative efforts should also be emphasized, but this is
not possible without financial support as well.
Financial support can be difficult for the emergency manager to obtain due to the
justification required for acquiring resources in anticipation of events that have not happened yet,
such as is seen in disaster preparedness. However, successful investment in mitigation activities
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Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
is proven to be beneficial in disaster response and recovery. According to the National
Conference of State Legislatures, every dollar invested in mitigative activities results in the $13
saved during disasters (Tyrrell et al., 2022). Appropriated funds in the now can save millions to
billions of dollars in the future.
Biblical Integration
Efforts to lessen impacts of disasters primarily lie on local, state, and federal agencies,
but the combined effort with willingness from individuals to do their part also contributes to a
successful disaster preparation and recovery. The war against disasters will always be present,
and as is stated in Mark 13:7 (English Standard Bible, 2001) “And when you hear of wars and
rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet.” For those who
experience disasters, it is needless to say that to them it feels like the end of times. But knowing
that there are individuals throughout the world that dedicate their lives to preparing and
understanding such events in order to save lives should bring comfort to the world.
Conclusion
Emergency and disaster managers have proven themselves time and time again that
responses to disaster are a forte in which they excel in, but often times preparedness is lacking.
Hurricane Katrina provided with an excellent example of how this can be true at times, but it also
paved the way to show that resiliency is also a common practice which must be utilized in
disaster management. Disasters will never cease to exist, and it is up to emergency and disaster
managers to utilize their knowledge, training, and experiences to guide the principles of disaster
management and prepare their communities throughout all phases of the disaster life cycle.
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Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
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Analysis of Disaster Management: Hurricane Katrina
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