M3A2

 6–8-page Microsoft Word document 

Hurricane Katrina Preparedness

The two major assignments in this course will combine to produce an  in-depth analysis of the preparedness, communication, mitigation,  response, and recovery coordination among the various public safety and  private sector organizations involved in Hurricane Katrina. It will also  include a detailed assessment of the Incident Command System (ICS)  process used. These assignments give you an opportunity to apply the  concepts discussed in this course to a real-world incident.

You will assess the emergency management process used during  Hurricane Katrina, and you will include your own thoughts and ideas for  improving the system. Your opinions and thoughts must be supported by  resources such as peer-reviewed journals, books, or credible articles on  government websites. Carefully evaluate your sources of information.

This first major assignment requires you to assess the actions and  policies at work prior to and following Hurricane Katrina’s landfall.  This assignment should total 6–8 pages of text and cover the following  points:

• Background
  • Identify the agencies responsible for emergency preparedness and response.
  • Describe (don’t just identify, but describe) the area impacted by Katrina.

Assume your reader does not know about this incident, and provide the  background necessary for a reader to understand the analysis that will  follow.

• Definitions
  • Define key terms that will be important to the understanding of your  analysis. Demonstrate your understanding of terms such as hurricane,  levee, and storm surge.
• Hurricane Katrina
  • Describe the storm, specifically.
  • What made this storm so special?
• Pre-existing vulnerabilities in Louisiana. Many believe that the  damage from Katrina would not have been so severe had the local areas  been better prepared.
  • Assess the state of readiness prior to Katrina’s landfall and discuss any particular vulnerabilities.
• Describe the ICS process
  • Include information pertaining to the elements of preparedness,  communication, mitigation, response, and recovery coordination among the  various public safety and private sector organizations specifically  involved in Hurricane Katrina.

Be sure to support any opinion statements or evaluations with well-documented facts.