Leadership Lessons

Multi-Agency Emergency Event: Hurricane Katrina

December 16, 2016

Multi-Agency Emergency Event: Hurricane Katrina

Event Summary

Hurricane Katrina struck the United States in the morning on August 29, 2005. The disaster affected the Gulf Coast region and was rated Category three according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The tragedy was characterized by strong winds of up to 140 miles per hour and was estimated to stretch for more than 400 miles. It is estimated that the Hurricane had fatalities of over 2000 people and had an impact on more than 90,000 square miles. The hurricane itself caused massive damage, but it is its aftermath that is thought to have been more catastrophic. There was a multi-agency management approach in responding to the disaster though there is widespread opinion that the federal government was slow in providing its expected contribution. Other agencies including the Coast Guard have been lauded for mainly saving the greatest number of people and leading in the coordination of aid provision to those affected. Although the event affected many states and a vast region, it is New Orleans that is described as having been hardest hit, and a majority of it population was black with some 30 percent of the population living in poverty before the hurricane (Brinkley, 2006). More than ten years after the event, there has been great recovery and rehabilitation, most of those affected have resettled, and great strides have been made in rebuilding their lives.

Response by Police Officers and Fire Agencies

Although the response to the Hurricane involved a multi-agency strategy, police and fire agencies stood out. The following points are made regarding their roles.

· Although the traditional roles of police include keeping communities safe through detection and prevention of crime, during the Hurricane, the police were involved in coordination and rescue.

· The police were also involved in the provision of emergency services including food and shelter.

· Since the police had no previous training on disaster response, there were reported cases where they abused their positions, and some fatalities resulted as a result of misuse of police firearms.

· The Fire Fighting departments in most states were among the very first responders to the disaster.

· Because of the nature of their training and skill, the firefighting agencies provided necessary help in saving lives and reducing the destruction of property.

· The severity of the Hurricane was such that it overwhelmed the concerted efforts by the multi-agency taskforce.

Roles within Structured Command

Although there were efforts by the multi-agency taskforce to establish a structured command, there was dispersal of roles and responsibilities that complicated efforts in fostering a central command. There was particular structured command inefficiency in responding to Hurricane Katrina because of the existence of three conflicting command centers as detailed below.

· The Joint Field Office and Federal Coordination Officer (FCO): The existing National Response Plan gives the FCO the overall mandate as the federal response commander.

· The Principal Federal Officer (PFO): This is the overall officer for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) who has the mandate to operate a command center.

· Joint Task Force Katrina: This command center was expected to represent the active involvement of the Department of Defense (DoD).

Because of these parallel command centers, there was a failure in implementing a unified command operation, and this led to confusion and delays in coordinating the response.

Crisis Response Objectives

The multi-agency task force that responded to Hurricane Katrina had the following objectives:

· Search and rescue

· Transport and evacuation

· Mass care and provision of shelter including humanitarian services

· Restoration of public safety and security

· Provision of a public communication support system

· Provision of critical infrastructure

· Impact assessment

· Environmental hazard identification

· Debris removal

Decision Making Strategies and Challenges

The Hurricane Katrina is among the worst disasters to have struck the United States over the last few decades. Because of the unprecedented magnitude of the disaster, response efforts were largely unsuccessful (Brodie et al., 2006). Even when the disaster struck four years after the September 11 terrorist attack and after the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security, response efforts did not perform as expected. The Federal Management Agency (FEMA), which was supposed to lead in the multi-agency response taskforce, is said to have been ineffective and slow in mounting a solid response plan. The lack of a unified and structured command by the multi-agency taskforce is likely to have contributed to inefficiency and poor coordination. Confusion emanating from the existence of some parallel control centers led to agencies acting as response “freelancers” therefore reducing chances of fronting a united response plan. Lack of sufficient training and ill-preparedness by most of the agencies in the multi-agency task force contributed to the lack of a clear response strategy and a coordination framework. Since disaster and emergency response is largely aimed at saving lives and reducing destruction to property, the unfortunate events leading to more fatalities resulting from police operations display the dire need for future planning in responding to disaster.

References

Brinkley, D. (2006). The great deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi gulf coast. William Morrow.

Brodie, M., Weltzien, E., Altman, D., Blendon, R. J., & Benson, J. M. (2006). Experiences of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Houston shelters: Implications for future planning. American Journal of Public Health, 96(8), 1402-1408.