Running head: MULTI-AGENCY EMERGENCY EVENT 1 MULTI-AGENCY EMERGENCY EVENT 6 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 respo ...

1. Running head: MULTI-AGENCY EMERGENCY EVENT
1
MULTI-AGENCY EMERGENCY EVENT
6
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

2. 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

3. 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

4. · 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

5. 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.