Understanding Disasters and the Impact on Emergency Management

Early 2000s Disasters and the Impact on Emergency Management
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Early 2000s Disasters and the Impact on Emergency Management
Emergency management involves activities associated with responding and avoiding human-caused and natural hazards. In the United States of America (USA), it is highly decentralized. Multiple jurisdictions, governmental agencies, private entities, and non-governmental organizations are included when responding to disasters. The four primary phases of emergency management are preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. Mitigation activities identify hazards and risks and eliminate or reduce their impact through structural measures. For example, it might include implementing zoning rules to restrict the construction of floodplains. Preparedness enhances the ability to respond to calamities by following steps to ensure that entities and personnel are capable of responding to a broad range of potential disasters. For instance, it includes planning, training, and procuring relevant resources, such as water, medications, and food. The response involves activities meant to safeguard property, protect the environment, save lives, and meet human necessities (Lindsay, 2012). Additionally, recovery entails activities intended to repair damages and restore essential services caused by a disaster. The paper discusses and analyzes the interagency response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 2005 Hurricane Katrina, Wilma Rita, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill without forgetting their impact on comprehensive emergency management, including mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Moreover, it delves into the consequences of the lack of interagency cooperation on comprehensive emergency management.
On 11th September 2001 at 8:46 am, the USA approach to national security was significantly transformed. An airliner with 10,000 gallons of fuel hit the World Trade Center’s (WTC) North Tower in Lower Manhattan. Another airliner plowed on the South Tower at around 9:03 am. A third airliner hit the western side of the Pentagon at 9:37 am. A fourth airliner crashed in a field in southern Pennsylvania at 10:03 am. In particular, it aimed at the White House or the Capitol but was forced down by some passengers who knew that the USA was under a terrorist attack. Over 2,600 individuals died in the WTC, 256 passengers on the four planes died, and 125 passed away at the Pentagon (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, 2004). The 9/11 terrorist attack claimed more lives than the Pearl Harbor incident. Indeed, it was a wake-up call for the USA to stay alert not only to combat natural calamities but to bolster national security agencies to prevent terrorist attacks. For example, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) came up with an “all-hazards approach,” which recognized numerous kinds of disasters that might need preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery.
Non-governmental organizations, volunteer and private agencies, federal, state, and local governments joined hands to help the USA, which was under terrorist attack. The most significant lesson obtained from the 9/11 attacks is that the country should be always prepared to handle unexpected disasters regardless of their magnitude. Approximately 3,000 people died from the 9/11 attacks. One of the mitigation strategies that the USA implemented was the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). FEMA was downgraded to deal with natural incidents, and the DHS's primary objective was to safeguard national security (Grimmett, 2006). When it comes to preparedness, the USA started training intelligence personnel to ensure that they have skills to recognize how terrorists communicate to prevent future attacks. Police officers, firefighters, emergency management agencies, and civilians responded to the 9/11 attacks by helping the victims and saving properties from further damage. Injured individuals were rushed to hospitals, and those in areas that were considered dangerous due to falling debris were evacuated. For the USA to recover from the 9/11 attacks and implement proper strategies to curb terrorism, it spent over $2.7 trillion (Stimson Study Group on Counterterrorism Spending, 2018). Consequently, the interagency collaboration made it possible to save the lives of many people and protect properties.
Hurricane Katrina occurred from 23rd to 30th August 2005 and was one of the deadliest, intense, costliest, and largest hurricanes (Farris, 2005). Specifically, it was a category five hurricane and caused damage of about $125 billion, and more than 1,800 individuals died. Hurricane Rita took place between 18th and 26th September 2005. Indeed, it had wind speeds of 285 kilometers per hour and achieved category five level on 21st September 2005. Hurricane Rita caused damages of around $18.5 billion and about 120 people died (Farris, 2005). Thousands of individuals were displaced from their homes, and some of them had their houses fully destroyed. Hurricane Wilma started as a tropical depression on 15th October 2005 and lasted throughout 25th October 2005. In particular, it achieved the status of category five on 18th October 2005, where it had wind speeds of about 298 kilometers per hour (Farris, 2005). Hurricane Wilma led to the deaths of approximately 52 people and the destruction of properties worth around $22.4 billion. As such, the above catastrophic hurricanes were challenging to mitigate, but the USA made a significant effort to prepare, respond, prevent, and recover from future disasters.
Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and Wilma enabled the USA and emergency agencies to acquire several crucial lessons that have helped the country reduce deaths and damages arising when such disasters occur. One of the vital lessons obtained is the significance of preparedness and mitigation. Another is the importance of interagency coordination and cooperation in disaster response (Bullock, Haddow, & Coppola, 2007). Additionally, the need for proper care and assistance, such as delivering food and medicines to the affected individuals, was the other critical lesson obtained. When it comes to mitigation, the USA built levees to prevent the overflow of water during hurricanes. In addition, it notifies residents of specific regions likely affected by hurricanes, when such incidents are likely to happen. Through proper planning, training, and surveillan...