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Hurricane Harvey and Fixing Our Failures
Helms School of Government, Liberty University
HLSC 600: Introduction to Disaster Management
Jimmy Johnson
04 December 2022
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Hurricane Harvey and fixing our Failures
On August 25, 2017, a terrible hurricane made landfall in Texas. Not as a category four
hurricane, but as a category one hurricane, Harvey was planning to make landfall. This storm
was unique because, before it entered the Gulf of Mexico, it was just a category 1 hurricane.
Millions of people were suddenly stranded by the category four storm that quickly intensified
and brought significant flood waters with it. Nobody anticipated the severity of the storm, which
was only expected to reach category 1 hurricane status or less. A fresh computation for the total
volume of water that was dispensed on American soil, according to the study, is 33 trillion
gallons (Fritz & Same now, 2017). With the majority of the 33 trillion gallons of water in Texas,
Louisiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Imagine a heavenly quantity of rain flooding the streets,
and ready for a never-before-seen level of chaos.
Emergency management was prepared, even though Texas's citizens weren't, so it's not
like they weren't expecting this significant last-minute alteration to a storm, is it? Was emergency
management ready in case Texas was hit by a hurricane of any kind? Because the reservoirs
failed and overflowed, many Texas people accuse the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of being too
responsible. The infrastructure was not adequately prepared for Hurricane Harvey or any other
natural disaster by emergency management. The reaction to and recovery from the damage
caused by Hurricane Harvey, however, has been a continuous success. If there is a subsequent
disaster, hopefully, the local, state, and federal governments will be able to make the necessary
changes to cause less destruction.
Mitigation and Preparedness
Texas was initially unprepared for the harm that occurred to them at the end of August
2017. That expensive damage from Hurricane Harvey interrupted and put many lives at peril.
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Although it can be challenging to foresee a hurricane's motions and changes, this does not
provide an explanation for why the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers efforts to prepare for the
storm failed. Planning and preparing for the worst-case scenario is always the best course of
action. The reservoirs and dams have a number of problems that had persisted for a long time.
Although the Corps did discharge water from Buffalo Bayou to avert flooding in some Houston
neighborhoods, it was insufficient. The Corps is currently dealing with numerous lawsuits from
flooded residences over its management of the discharges as a result of the failures (Bubenik,
2018). Texas residents are dissatisfied with the lack of planning that was done to protect their
homes from destruction. The sole preparation made was to offer assistance after the storm
passed.
The President immediately declared a major disaster proclamation that empowered
dozens of federal agencies to dispatch personnel to support the State of Texas in response and
recovery because the hurricane had quickly developed into a catastrophic storm (FEMA, 2017).
With the limited time and resources available, every possible action was performed. The
emergency response and the government took the required action to find ways to lessen the
further harm to the rest of Texas.
When it comes to catastrophic catastrophes that take place within the United States, there
is a lot of planning in emergency management. The National Response Framework is a
mechanism that deals with planning for potential dangers (NRF). This resembles a system of all-
encompassing preventative measures that have been put in place to better prepare first
responders. The NRF is in charge of all planning and preparation for providing assistance and
support to the public. The Federal Radiological Emergency Response Plan, the Initial National
Response Plan, and the National Contingency Plan are all products of the NRF. To successfully
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deal with a disaster and limit the harm from any prospective hazards, all of these plans and
suggestions come to mind.
There don't seem to have been many actions in response to what occurred in Texas.
During this powerful hurricane storm, there was far too much destruction and unexpected events.
Although storms cannot always be avoided, given today's technology and knowledge of
hurricanes, more intelligent measures must be taken to prevent the loss of life and the destruction
of communities. According to research, "measures are performed in the mitigation stage to
prevent a disaster before it occurs and to limit its repercussions in the event that it does occur"
(Krasko & Rebennack, 2017, p. 11). In the event of an impending emergency, emergency
management should be able to communicate the strategy to private organizations for assistance.
In order to help communities, clean up the mess, and salvage what can be used, there must be set
plans for mitigation before, during, and after disasters. Significant flooding, including road
closures, should be taken into account in future training scenarios and event mitigation,
according to the research (NERC, 2018). It is crucial to have the right training methods and
preparedness plans for natural catastrophes. The steps of mitigation and preparation must be
perfected in order to deal with potentially worse disasters in the future.
Response and Recovery
The reaction phase in emergency management is one of, if not the most essential phase.
Making preparations for anticipated storms and other natural disasters is crucial for how a crisis
is handled and recovered from. It must be quick in order to react to a calamity. Never should
emergency management allow a community to stagnate for days, weeks, or months unless they
have no intention of letting that community heal and become even stronger than before.
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Uninsured and damaged residents and small businesses are problems. According to the study, "58
percent of respondents who were affected by Hurricane Harvey reported physical capital losses
that were uninsured, and 74 percent of respondents who were affected by the hurricane indicated
lost revenue and/or production that was uninsured" (Kaplan, 2017, p. 9). Any type of calamity
calls for resilience, and anyone who lost their homes and companies knew how crucial it was. It
is quite risky and tough to be in a scenario where one loses their business without insurance. For
many people, bank loans and government forgiveness were necessary in order to recover from
Hurricane Harvey. We are aware that in order to assist the small business community in
weathering this crisis, banks will need to deal with borrowers and make difficult decisions
regarding future business viability (Kaplan, 2017). Making ensuring that small enterprises, which
account for a sizable share of the economy, can restart operations is crucial. A month later,
"...more than $1.5 billion in federal cash was paid to Texans affected by the disaster, including
assistance grants, low-interest disaster loans, and advance payments for flood insurance"
(FEMA, 2017, p. 8). Due to their genuine awareness of the help and aid, those in need were in
need of, FEMA performed admirably in this situation. So many people lost their lives, and many
others were left without much more than the clothing on their backs or a permanent place to call
home.
The organization is required for all of these chaotic occasions. Success in any endeavor
requires organization, not just in times of crisis but also in the development of new business
models and technological innovations. But everything should be done properly and in order, the
Bible says. Corinthians 14:40 (ESV). Any leadership understands the importance of the
organization in preventing failure and its consequences. The National Incident Management
System (NIMS) is designed to coordinate and act quickly in the event of any form of national
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catastrophe. The NIMS was specifically designed to set up all the resources required for any
disaster occurrence, such as Hurricane Harvey. They provide guidance to public servants and
businesses to help them gather the resources needed to deal with daily emergencies. "between
September 2017 and July 31, 2018, we gave emergency relief supplies, building materials,
appliances, and other items to nearly 246,000 persons," according to a report on the period of
time following Hurricane Harvey's devastation (World Vision Staff, 2018, p. 21). To help those
in risky situations get back on their feet and feel as comfortable as possible, many forms of
assistance and support were sent to Texas. No one was left living on the streets because they
couldn't afford to restore their homes because the response was immediate. Because of the first
responders and essential assistance that arrived at their relief, everyone was given a fresh start.
The Incident Command System (ICS) assists in identifying the appropriate goals and tactics to
support distressed populations. The ICS assists in bringing the required equipment and a strategy
to the key operational regions in the disaster location. "ICS provides a method for all
organizations concerned to work together in a cohesive manner, a manner that allows them to
respond to emergencies more rapidly and with an increased level of precision," according to the
statement (Gregory, 2015, p. 8). Working together in times of emergency is crucial to achieving
the final goal—or what ought to be the end goal. The ultimate objective should be to help anyone
in need and to rebuild the community. The ICS has a problem because its sole responsibility
should be to manage community recovery and protection. They need to be the stage where the
NRF simply implements its solution to improve the overall issue, preventing future
consequences for the injured site.
Conclusion
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In conclusion, the infrastructure was not adequately prepared for Hurricane Harvey or
any other natural disaster by emergency management. The reaction to and recovery from the
damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, however, has been a continuous success. If there is a
subsequent disaster, hopefully, the local, state, and federal governments will be able to make the
necessary changes to cause less destruction. The government is currently making adjustments to
the hurricane-damaged reservoirs to ensure that they won't flood as drastically as they did in
2017. Before Hurricane Harvey, Texas residents were calling for this kind of response. Before
the dams burst and caused even more issues, they had been requesting that the reservoirs be
fixed. Even before the hurricane, these dams were "...thought to be at extremely high risk"
(Bubenik, 2018, p.14). Although the natural calamity may not have caused them to burst, they
nonetheless present a serious concern in the event that there is another powerful hurricane.
Regardless of the state or city, preparations should be made on all fronts to defend the vital
infrastructure. If there is a problem with damage to anything that might eventually turn into a
threat, that problem should be resolved right away. To adequately train emergency management
to anticipate and lessen potential threats to the infrastructure, there is a lot of work to be done.
There is sufficient knowledge about prior catastrophes and training to effectively prepare the
communities at risk in the future.
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References
Bubenik, T. (2018, August 29). Houston's Reservoirs Survived Their Biggest Test, but They're
Still at Risk of Failing. Retrieved April 25, 2019, from
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2018/08/27/301637/houstonsreservoir
s-survived-their-biggest-test-but-theyre-still-at-risk-of-failing/
FEMA. (2017, September 22). Historic Disaster Response to Hurricane Harvey in
Texas.Retrieved April 25, 2019, from https://www.fema.gov/news-
release/2017/09/22/historicdisaster-response-hurricane-harvey-texas
Fritz, A., & Samenow, J. (2017, September 02). Harvey unloaded 33 trillion gallons of water in
the U.S. Retrieved April 25, 2019, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capitalweather-gang/wp/2017/08/30/harvey-has-
unloaded-24-5-trillion-gallons-of-water-on ANALYSISAND CRITIQUE OF MAJOR
EVENT PAPER 10 texas-and-louisiana/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f344051a5341
Gregory, P. A. (2015). "Reassessing the Effectiveness of All-Hazards Planning in Emergency
Management." Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse, 7(06). Retrieved from
http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=1050
Holy Bible, ESV
Kaplan, R. S., President. (2017, October 17). Impact of Hurricane Harvey and a Discussion of
Key Structural Drivers Affecting U.S. Monetary Policy. Retrieved April 25, 2019, from
https://www.dallasfed.org/news/speeches/kaplan/2017/rsk171017.aspx
Krasko, V., & Rebennack, S. (2017, November 16). Two-stage stochastic mixed-integer
nonlinear programming model for post-wildfire debris flow hazard management:
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Mitigation and emergency evacuation. Retrieved April 13, 2019, from https://www-
sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/science/article/pii/S0377221717304320
NERC. (2018, March). Hurricane Harvey Event Analysis Report - nerc.com. Retrieved April 25,
2019, from
https://www.nerc.com/pa/rrm/ea/Hurricane_Harvey_EAR_DL/NERC_Hurricane_Harvey
_EAR_20180309.pdf
World Vision Staff. (2018, December 08). 2017 Hurricane Harvey: Facts, FAQs, and how to help.
Retrieved April 25, 2019, from https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-newsstories/
hurricane-harvey-facts
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