Analysis of Hurricane Katrina

No single emergency is more indicative of the need for emergency planning than the 2005 Hurricane Katrina which struck the city of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of the United States. The response to this natural disaster has been used as an example of poor emergency planning that led to catastrophic mismanagement and subsequent loss of life and property.

Conduct an analysis of the Hurricane Katrina emergency plan that led to the failures to respond to this natural disaster. Use this general outline to conduct the case study analysis.

The analysis should be three to four double-spaced pages in length (excluding title and reference pages) in APA format.

Introduction (1/2 page)

• Provide a brief overview of the dates and facts of the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe.
• Identify those responsible for creating and maintaining an emergency plan.

Preparedness for Hurricane Katrina (one to two pages)

• Prior to Hurricane Katrina's arrival, what entities were responsible for emergency response to a hurricane striking New Orleans and the Gulf Coast?
• What emergency plans were in place prior to the arrival of Hurricane Katrina?
• What training and exercises were conducted to prepare for a hurricane prior to Katrina?
• Did the populace know what the emergency plan was prior to the arrival of Hurricane Katrina?

Emergency Planning Lessons Learned from Katrina (one to two pages)

• What were the major emergency planning failures that were uncovered by Hurricane Katrina?
• What organizational and policy factors led to the planning failures of Hurricane Katrina?
• What lessons learned from the Katrina disaster can now be used to improve the emergency planning for other natural and man-made disasters in the U.S.?
• What actions have been taken by the federal government to improve emergency planning?

Use at least three resources other than the course textbook to support your analysis. Two of these resources should be:

• U.S. House of Representatives. (2006). A failure of initiative: Final report of the select bipartisan committee to investigate the preparation for the response to Hurricane Katrina. 109th Cong., 2nd Sess. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
• The White House. (2006). The federal response to Hurricane Katrina: Lessons learned. (H. Rpt. 109-377). Retrieved May 6, 2010, from http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/reports/katrina-lessons-learned/
• Third source from a Hurricane Katrina case study.