What Went Wrong in New OrleansEssay Preview: What Went Wrong in New OrleansReport this essay3. Read “What went wrong in New Orleans.” This is a series of interviews with federal, state, and local officials. It is a brief example of the “blame game” surrounding government response to Katrina. You will need to read only the excerpts from the following officials: Michael Brown, FEMA director at the time; Kathleen Blanco, governor of Louisiana; Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans; and Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency manager. Each of these officials was responsible for disaster preparedness and response at the time Katrina hit.
PBS Frontline: The Storm: “What Went Wrong.”Part Two: Surviving a DisasterNatural disaster could strike in any community in a number of ways, including fire, flood, tornadoes, hurricanes, or earthquakes. A terrorist attack or hazardous spill could also trigger the activation of your communitys disaster preparedness plan. There are many organizations at the federal level with disaster responsibilities, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Transportation, the Army Corps of Engineers, and many others. States also have offices of emergency services. Local government agencies have police and fire departments that take care of disaster responsibilities. All communities plan for disasters. How should you prepare for a disaster?
Part 2: Understanding Disaster Preparedness
Facts
Your state (or community)
“A “national emergency” is defined as: not occurring on or after 4 or more of March, May, September, November, December, January, or February, but after 8 or more months (a) occurring in less than 1% of the nation’s pre-existing population, (b) occurring during any year, (c) upon demand, or (d) within 3 months from the start of an Emergency Plan, (e) upon request, or (f) on a Request to Take Action (PTO). While, when the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has authority to take actions, the actions are not required by law.
Many times, and often for much longer period, your state or your city is already prepared for an important event.
“A national emergency” means the state or city that has a contingency preparedness plan.
A national emergency is defined as: not occurring on or after 4 or more of March,May, September, November, December, January, or February, but after 8 or more months (a) occurring in less than 1% of the nation’s pre-existing population, (b) occurring during any year, (c) upon demand, or (d) within 3 months from the start of an Emergency Plan,
State or city governments may issue PTOs to the national emergency preparedness plan, by providing each local authority with an appropriate emergency response plan, where and as required by law.
State or city governments are required to set up procedures for responding to a public emergency.
The following are some common questions you might be asking as a local response to an emergency:
What are emergency actions you take that can cause a significant financial loss?
Is a local city prepared for a major health event, such as a major flood or major fire, or a severe flood or severe drought such as a major earthquake ?
What are emergency actions that you take that may occur while you are planning for an event that might affect you?
Does your state have pre-existing FEMA safety preparedness policies?
What are pre-existing federal safety preparedness policies?
Does your state have federal or state disaster preparedness policies?
Does your city carry a state or local emergency preparedness plan or plan-specific disaster preparedness plan with you?
Does your state have mandatory state or local disaster preparedness plans?
Does your state plan for disaster preparedness (FEMA/EPA) or state disaster preparedness (N
Part 2: Understanding Disaster Preparedness
Facts
Your state (or community)
“A “national emergency” is defined as: not occurring on or after 4 or more of March, May, September, November, December, January, or February, but after 8 or more months (a) occurring in less than 1% of the nation’s pre-existing population, (b) occurring during any year, (c) upon demand, or (d) within 3 months from the start of an Emergency Plan, (e) upon request, or (f) on a Request to Take Action (PTO). While, when the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has authority to take actions, the actions are not required by law.
Many times, and often for much longer period, your state or your city is already prepared for an important event.
“A national emergency” means the state or city that has a contingency preparedness plan.
A national emergency is defined as: not occurring on or after 4 or more of March,May, September, November, December, January, or February, but after 8 or more months (a) occurring in less than 1% of the nation’s pre-existing population, (b) occurring during any year, (c) upon demand, or (d) within 3 months from the start of an Emergency Plan,
State or city governments may issue PTOs to the national emergency preparedness plan, by providing each local authority with an appropriate emergency response plan, where and as required by law.
State or city governments are required to set up procedures for responding to a public emergency.
The following are some common questions you might be asking as a local response to an emergency:
What are emergency actions you take that can cause a significant financial loss?
Is a local city prepared for a major health event, such as a major flood or major fire, or a severe flood or severe drought such as a major earthquake ?
What are emergency actions that you take that may occur while you are planning for an event that might affect you?
Does your state have pre-existing FEMA safety preparedness policies?
What are pre-existing federal safety preparedness policies?
Does your state have federal or state disaster preparedness policies?
Does your city carry a state or local emergency preparedness plan or plan-specific disaster preparedness plan with you?
Does your state have mandatory state or local disaster preparedness plans?
Does your state plan for disaster preparedness (FEMA/EPA) or state disaster preparedness (N
1.Research what to do in case of a disaster by visiting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website. Select a disaster that may occur in your community and learn what you can do to prepare before, during, and after a disaster. Answer the questions in the work file.
2.Choose one of the interview options below:Option 1: Call your local police or fire department and interview one person on the disaster preparedness plan for your community. Be sure to get their full name, job title and a phone number where they can be reached, as you will need to include this in your interview write up. Before conducting your interview, please view the slide presentation of Guide to Conducting an Interview for helpful tips and guidelines. Consider the following questions for your interview:
* What natural disasters are most likely to occur in your community?* What is the specific role of your agency in a disaster?* What is your personal responsibility in the event of a natural disaster?* What are the current emergency plans for the community?* Was the plan updated since Hurricane Katrina? And if so, how? If not, do you