Running Head: FEMA POLICY 1 FEMA POLICY 2 Hurricane in Katrina Hurricane in Katrina Introduction FEMA stands for Federal Emergency Management Agency. The agency was mainly formulated so to help reduce the increased cases of natural disasters that appeared to be a threat in the state of America. Previously before the implementation of the policy United State was experiencing adverse effects from disaster cases which were propagated by natural calamities. The main purpose of the policy was to enhance coordination of relevant strategies which are implemented to manage different disasters that affect the country. The Policy's main headquarters are located in Washington. Most of the areas in the country experience these natural disasters; therefore formulation of FEMA was of more advantage as opposed to the demerits. Before the formulation of the policy, the state had first to analyze the common calamities that affect the country. Findings stated that most of the regions suffered from adverse cases of flooding, hurricanes, and tornadoes (Garrett & Sobel, 2013). These cases were classified as natural disasters. Nevertheless, the findings concluded that the country was at the threat of insecurity cases which were facilitated by the citizens of the state. Among all these adverse effects the most common disaster that appears to be occurring at a high frequency includes hurricane disaster. A good example is Hurricane Katrina. The disaster affected two main cities that are the city of Florida and the city of Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina brought about the destruction of property worth billions of dollars. There is some hurricane that occurs and they are mainly categorized into five main categories. Hurricane Katrina was ranked as one of the five major categories because of the damage that it causes to both of the city. The hurricane did not only affect Florida and Louisiana the effects stretched to the neighboring regions such as the city of New Orleans. The catastrophic event mainly took place in August 2005. The hurricane affected both the citizens of the state and America at large in that the economy of the state depreciated by a significant percentage. When this disaster occurred the state of America had not yet formulated various agencies and organization which were to deal with such disasters in case they occurred. The hurricane stretched its effect and activated another disaster which if flooding. A lot of people lost their lives during these disasters. The hurricane left hundreds and thousands of people without their loved ones. The hurricane washed away a lot of homes and destroyed different building structures; this means that a number of people who were privileged to survive the hurricane without places to reside. People who were left by their loved ones started to develop mental distress due.

1. Running Head: FEMA POLICY
1
FEMA POLICY 2
Hurricane in Katrina
Hurricane in Katrina
Introduction
FEMA stands for Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The agency was mainly formulated so to help reduce the
increased cases of natural disasters that appeared to be a threat
in the state of America. Previously before the implementation of
the policy United State was experiencing adverse effects from

2. disaster cases which were propagated by natural calamities. The
main purpose of the policy was to enhance coordination of
relevant strategies which are implemented to manage different
disasters that affect the country. The Policy's main headquarters
are located in Washington. Most of the areas in the country
experience these natural disasters; therefore formulation of
FEMA was of more advantage as opposed to the demerits.
Before the formulation of the policy, the state had first to
analyze the common calamities that affect the country. Findings
stated that most of the regions suffered from adverse cases of
flooding, hurricanes, and tornadoes (Garrett & Sobel, 2013).
These cases were classified as natural disasters. Nevertheless,
the findings concluded that the country was at the threat of
insecurity cases which were facilitated by the citizens of the
state. Among all these adverse effects the most common disaster
that appears to be occurring at a high frequency includes
hurricane disaster.
A good example is Hurricane Katrina. The disaster
affected two main cities that are the city of Florida and the city
of Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina brought about the destruction
of property worth billions of dollars. There is some hurricane
that occurs and they are mainly categorized into five main
categories. Hurricane Katrina was ranked as one of the five
major categories because of the damage that it causes to both of
the city. The hurricane did not only affect Florida and Louisiana
the effects stretched to the neighboring regions such as the city
of New Orleans. The catastrophic event mainly took place in
August 2005. The hurricane affected both the citizens of the
state and America at large in that the economy of the state
depreciated by a significant percentage. When this disaster
occurred the state of America had not yet formulated various
agencies and organization which were to deal with such
disasters in case they occurred. The hurricane stretched its
effect and activated another disaster which if flooding. A lot of
people lost their lives during these disasters. The hurricane left
hundreds and thousands of people without their loved ones. The

3. hurricane washed away a lot of homes and destroyed different
building structures; this means that a number of people who
were privileged to survive the hurricane without places to
reside. People who were left by their loved ones started to
develop mental distress due to its aftermath.
The population of Florida and Louisiana is high; therefore
in case another disaster affects these regions, the intensity of
the disaster will be extremely high. The number of people who
will lose their lives will be high. This means that a lot of people
are at risk of such a disaster from happening. Back in 2005 a lot
of people lost their jobs. This is because the hurricane swept
away a lot of industries and business structures which were
previously established. Therefore the hurricane led to an
increase in the number of people who depend on the government
for financial support. It took a long time before both of the
states resumed to their original state in terms of economy and
social status.
Hurricane Katrina and other natural calamities raise an
alarming need for appropriate strategies to be put in place to
help curb such an occurrence from reoccurring. The government
did a careful review of all these catastrophic events, and in
summary, different government officials suggest the
development of a policy which was intended to reduce these
effects. Formulation of FEMA was the best alternative and most
appropriate one to be implemented. The emergency operation
center has a main mission and motto which stated: Prepared.
Responsive. Committed. This means that FEMA is an
emergency center that is willing and prepared to help assist
casualties in case of such an occurrence. FEMA has formulated
different strategies when it comes to dealing with disasters. To
begin with, the emergency center has searched for any loophole
that promotes the occurrence of these disasters. The agency has
partitioned itself into different departments in accordance with
the different calamities. FEMA has benefited both the citizens
and the state at large (Galea & Kessler, 2007). The emergency
center has provided employment opportunities to different

4. people who previously have no jobs. The policy initiated
different programs related to disaster recovery and prevention.
The agency went out and offered mass education to the citizens
in different geographical regions across the state.
Hurricane Katrina made people scatter to different regions
in the state. The number of people who remain in Florida and
New Orleans. People established their shelters in other states
thus leaving Florida abandoned. The state was not prepared for
such an occurrence; thus this affected the state to an extent
where the state needed some years to recover. FEMA helped the
state to recover from the effects brought about by Hurricane
Katrina. The emergency preparedness plan appeared to be
effective for all the hazards that are prone to occur.
The emergency center identified one of the primary
reasons as to why a lot of people are affected by a disaster once
it occurs. The main reason identified was that the public lacked
awareness of all these calamities. They were not taught
important ways and measure to take once such an occurrence
occurred and this projected an increase in the number of death
cases associated with disasters. The policy argues out that in
case the agency had been formulated before the occurrence of
the hurricane Katrina the number of people who died could not
have been as much as it was. This is because people could have
the know-how on how to react to the disaster once it occurred.
Therefore the policy saw it was important to reach out to the
public through public awareness. Public awareness meant that
they go out and reach the inaccessible areas and the areas which
are prone to these disasters. FEMA has ensured that almost
every citizen in the United States have been equipped with the
skills of curbing managing such disasters once they occur.
FEMA has incorporated a number of stakeholders who help
in facilitating its progress. The government plays a major role
in the organization that is responsible for financing the projects
that the organization launches. FEMA has incorporated the use
of modern technology in curbing disastrous cases (Kates &
Leatherman, 2006). From the time Hurricane Katrina occurred

5. the technology system was not advanced, but today the
technology has experienced a migration. The migration involves
people migrating from an analog system of operation and
adopting digital technology. FEMA, therefore, has developed
and enhanced the use of different devices which can predict an
occurrence of a hurricane. As opposed to the earlier days where
hurricane caught people unawares these days it is easy to tell if
a hurricane is about to hit the state. People are therefore given
enough time to prepare and migrate to other regions which are
safe from the disaster.
It is the work of the government to ensure the safety of
every person in the state. Therefore, the government has a direct
link with the emergency center to ensure that all improvised
strategies are applied. In case of a change initiation the
government is responsible for providing the necessary resources
required to initiate these changes. The agency is mainly owned
by the American government meaning that for any project to be
established the leaders of the agency have to make a direct
consultation with the government to be granted permission to
develop the project. Recently there have been controversy and a
number of disagreements whereby FEMA feel that it is in a
potion to handle all its projects. The emergency center has
progressively requested to be set free by the government so that
it can be an independent organization. The government, on the
other hand, does not agree with their plea because the
government believes that it plays a very vital role in the
organization to ensure its continuity and growth. The
government believes that the organization cannot stand by itself
in that it cannot finance all the development projects despite the
organization being known all over the state. This disagreement
has raised anticipation from the public because they rely on the
organization when it comes to handling cases of disasters.
FEMA is divided in various departments. The division is
done in accordance with the frequency of disaster cases being
reported. These divisions include; National Response
Coordination Center- the main objective of this subdivision is to

6. help in ensuring coordination of federal support about all the
major disasters and emergencies. The other department is the
National Disaster Medical System- this subsection was mainly
formulated to provide medical attention to different people who
might be injured during a disaster occurrence. The team
comprises of different personnel including the doctors, nurses,
and pharmacists their main duty being attending to patients and
giving medical prescription. Nevertheless, the offers first aid
services for different casualties who are in critical condition
(FEMA & Center, 2017).The third department is Urban Search
and Rescue. This department was formulated to perform a
thorough search for victims in case of any disaster such as
collapsing of buildings or mine collapsing due to the effects of
earthquakes. The fourth department is the Mobile Emergency
Response Support- this team is mainly responsible for attending
to any emergency phone calls from the citizens in case of a
disaster. Nevertheless, the team is responsible for relaying
important information to the public once received, e.g., in case
FEMA has spotted signs of a disaster occurring, the Mobile
Emergency Response Support team is responsible for ensuring
that this information lands in the ears of all citizens so that they
can implement necessary measures.
FEMA has a team of highly qualified employees who
ensure that the products and offers the best services to the
public in case of a disaster. The team of employees comes up
with creative ideas which are used in the development of
projects and innovations. Since the formulation of FEMA case
of natural disaster and their effects have experienced a decrease
(Marable & Clarke, 2016).
I would strongly recommend some improvement of the
organization policy in that first they should increase the number
of employees working in the organization. The more the number
of employees the quicker the services will be. An increase in
the number of employees will help in generating more ideas
thus enhancing creativity and innovation. Nevertheless, more
employees will help in enhancing teamwork in the organization;

7. thus all the arising disaster issues will be attended for in the
most effective way possible. The organization should ensure
that the leadership structure is well organized in that the leaders
who are appointed to head different sections in the organization
should be competent and possess the right leadership qualities
to ensure that all the activities in the organization run smoothly.
Effective leadership will help in facilitating progress, growth,
and development of FEMA
. Good leaders in different organizations make good and
strategic decisions when it comes to a decision making process.
In case the organization does not have the enforcement of
effective leaders the organization will not in a position of
making acute decisions; therefore leadership is a vital section of
FEMA organization. Any positive enhancement should be
implemented in this section to ensure the quality of services
being offered by FEMA is well maintained at optimum levels.
The organization should expand its borders. The number of
departments formulated is less in that some sections in the
disaster recovery process are not addressed therefore I feel that
there is a need of FEMA to establish new departments which
will look into such areas. The most affected area that I feel is
not addressed is the public section. The organization should
formulate a department which will help in advising the public
and advice on how to deal with disaster situation when they
arise.
Conclusion
Hurricane Katrina brought about negative implications in
the state of America. Natural calamities have been a major case
that should be addressed across all states mainly because
different states are at risk of encountering such calamities. The
government should formulate different organizations that will
help in the disaster recovery process. FEMA is one of the
organizations which was formulated by the American
government has positively benefited the whole state through
providing services that help in curbing disaster-related
problems. I believe that we are not in a position to stop disaster,

8. but we can equip ourselves with the knowledge that would help
us formulate measure in reducing these cases. People react
negatively when it comes to change initiation, but it is better to
embrace the change if the alternative is disaster.
References
FEMA, U., & Center, P. D. (2017). Hazus® Estimated
Annualized Earthquake Losses for the United States. FEMA
P-366. https://www. fema. gov/media-library-
data/1497362829336-
7831a863fd9c5490379b28409d541efe/FEMAP-366_2017.
pdf.
Galea, S., Brewin, C. R., Gruber, M., Jones, R. T., King, D. W.,
King, L. A., ... & Kessler, R. C. (2007). Exposure to
hurricane-related stressors and mental illness after Hurricane
Katrina. Archives of general psychiatry, 64(12), 1427-
1434.
Garrett, T. A., & Sobel, R. S. (2013). The political economy of
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509.
Highfield, W. E., & Brody, S. D. (2017). Determining the
effects of the FEMA Community Rating System program on
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disaster risk reduction, 21, 396-404.
Kates, R. W., Colten, C. E., Laska, S., & Leatherman, S. P.
(2006). Reconstruction of New Orleans after Hurricane
Katrina: a research perspective. Proceedings of the national
Academy of Sciences, 103(40), 14653-14660.
Marable, M., & Clarke, K. (Eds.). (2016). Seeking higher
ground: The Hurricane Katrina crisis, race, and public policy
reader. Springer.

9. Pralle, S. (2019). Drawing lines: FEMA and the politics of
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