Criticisms Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was a tropical cyclone that hit the southern coast of the United States in 2005. About 1,836 people lost their lives and another 700 people were missing. One of the deadliest recent natural disasters to occur in the United States, it cost about $81 billion in damage. The largest loss of life and damage occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana, when the levee system designed to prevent floods in the city failed. Four years after the disaster, thousands of residents were still living in trailers. Many people believe that the way the United States government reacted to Hurricane Katrina was full of mismanagement and riddled with a lack of preparation to provide hurricane relief. There was also a major delay in the hurricane help response to the flooding. This has led many people to believe that it was due to the region’s large African American population, and the inadequate response was fueled by racism.

The Delayed Hurricane Relief Response:
One of the main claims in the hurricane help effort was the lack of assumed leadership. This was the biggest contributor to the delayed response that New Orleans experienced. Days after the levees broke and the flood waters raged through the city, visibly shaken politicians were shown on television as victims of the hurricane remained stranded without clean food and water. The lack of swiftness in the hurricane relief effort allowed deaths to continue to rise even after the hurricane passed, as people died from thirst and exhaustion. In addition, as tension within the city grew, so did the violence. Many people began looting homes and stores, and attacking each other in the process, adding to the death toll.

President George W. Bush assigned Michael Chertoff, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate a hurricane relief effort. Both the President and Chertoff came under fire for their slow effort to aid victims in the hurricane. As a result, many officials holding office in disaster relief operations resigned, such as Michael D. Brown resigning as director of FEMA.

Inadequate Shelter for Hurricane Victims:
As victims of the hurricane were left without homes and other forms of shelter, thousands of them were directed to large facilities, such as the Superdome (a football stadium designed to house 800 victims) and the New Orleans Civic Center. About 30,000 displaced victims were sent to the Superdome and 25,000 to the Civic Center, which is not designed to house victims of a disaster. This mismanagement was also deeply criticized in the hurricane relief effort.

International View:
On an international level, the criticized hurricane relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Katrina was widely reported. The United Kingdom expressed a great deal of concern over the racism claims and the UK Mirror stated that they believed that while there are many great things about the United States, the hurricane relief effort in Louisiana exposed a “vile underbelly [of the U.S.] which is usually kept well out of sight…”

Flood Safety

A flood is an overflow of water that submerges dry land. If the water reaches land that is populated by people, such as a village, it is considered to be a natural disaster. Floods usually occur near large bodies of water, such as a lake or river. When a storm causes the water levels to rise, the water may over flow the boundaries of the river and lake and spread to areas of land that are otherwise dry.

Flood safety knowledge is important because the amount of damage and loss of life can be devastating. Flood safety refers to the ways in which flood damage and danger are lessened. There are many ways in which flood safety and flood disaster preparedness can be practiced.

What is the Difference Between Flood Watch and Flood Warning?

When the media reports the threat of floods happening in your area, they may say there is a flood warning or flood watch. While this may seem like the same terms that may be used interchangeably, they are not. A flood watch is when a flood or flash flood is possible in the area in which you live. A flood or flash flood warning refers to flooding that is already happening or WILL occur in your area. Knowing this difference is important in flood disaster preparedness planning.

Steps to Do During a Flood Watch or Warning:
Stay informed:
Make sure that you have access to a television or radio and is tuned to a local news station that provides weather information. They will have up-to-date information for you and your area about possible flood warnings and the progress of storm that may be causing the flood. The internet may also be a valuable source to provide instant information as it breaks.

Evacuation:
Flood disaster preparedness means being ready and willing to evacuate at a moment’s notice. While you are keeping yourself informed with lines of communication such as television and radio, you should always keep in mind that you may need to leave your house very soon and quickly. When outlining your disaster preparedness planning, be sure that you have everything you need in the event of a flood warning and can leave immediately if necessary.

Stay Away From Flood Water:
In flood disaster planning, make sure that you do not put yourself in a position where you come in contact with flood water. The water can be highly dangerous, even in just six inches of water, which could sweep you off your feet.

Flood Warning:
Once you receive a flood warning, head to higher ground immediately. This means that a flood is currently in progress or is about to happen.

Flood Disaster Preparedness Supplies:
It is important in your flood disaster preparedness planning that you have the right supplies in the event of a flood. Remember that food and water should always be at the top of your list:
• Water
• Food
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered radio
• Extra batteries for radio
• First aid kit
• Medications as needed
• Extra cash
• Cell phone
• Maps of the surrounding area

American Red Cross Disasters Services

The American branch of the Red Cross is the humanitarian movement within the United States that provides similar functions such as a disaster relief program and prevention of human suffering as its international sister organizations. American disaster relief is just one of its many functions of the American Red Cross. The organization helps the needy, provides communication services for the military, the collection of blood and related products for those that need it, provides educational resources about health and safety, and international disaster relief development initiatives.

All of the decisions made by the American Red Cross are done by volunteers and donations from the community help support it. It has 700 chapters and 36 different Blood Service region all across the country. About 30,000 volunteers provide mobilized services for American Red Cross disaster relief duties for people effected by 67,000 disasters annually. It is also the largest supplier of blood and blood-related products, providing them to over 3,000 hospitals across the entire nation. Even with all of these good natured humanitarian services under its belt, the American Red Cross has a history of controversies. It is not surprising, however, because when an organization performs such sensitive duties, such as a disaster relief program, chances are that they will not please everybody.

The September 11 Disaster Relief Funds Controversy:
Like many other humanitarian organizations, the American Red Cross established a disaster relief program and disaster relief funds for the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. They provided blood donations, supplies and disaster relief funds for the victims of the attack. The American Red Cross was criticized though, because they set up blood drives that were unnecessary in their disaster relief program efforts. The organization claimed that the attacks were a sign of instability and it would do good for the American people to donate blood for when it is needed. America’s Blood Centers claimed that local blood donations were sufficient enough, and as it turned out, a lot of blood went unused.

Further criticism at the American Red Cross’s disaster relief program for the terrorist attacks was aimed at its disaster relief funds initiative, called the Liberty Fund. After the disaster relief funds initiative was completed and closed after October, it was found that $547 million was received to be used for its disaster relief program. However, only 30 percent of the money was used under disaster relief guidelines for victims’ needs. The remaining money instead went to blood supply funds, programs to improve telecommunications, and programs for terrorist attack preparedness across the nation.

In addition, critics of the American Red Cross’s handling of the September 11 attacks claim that a significant portion of the disaster relief funds were given to upscale New Yorkers. They believe that these people were “traumatized” or “inconvenienced” by the attacks but may not have needed financial aid. All of these controversial decisions in the disaster relief funds resulted in New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to investigate the Red Cross.

American Red Cross

The American branch of the Red Cross is the humanitarian movement within the United States that provides similar functions such as disaster relief aid and prevention of human suffering as its international sister organizations. Disaster relief help is just one of its many functions. The American Red Cross helps the needy, provides communication services for the military, the collection of blood and related products for those that need it, provides educational resources about health and safety, and international disaster relief aid development initiatives.

All of the decisions made by the American Red Cross are done by volunteers and donations from the community help support it. It has 700 chapters and 36 different Blood Service region all across the country. About 30,000 volunteers provide mobilized services for American Red Cross disaster relief duties for people effected by almost 70,000 disasters annually. It is also the largest supplier of blood and blood-related products, providing them to over 3,000 hospitals across the entire nation.

Disaster Services:
The American Red Cross responds quickly to provide disaster relief help to many different disasters, ranging from apartment fires to situations that are much more severe, such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, spill hazards, vehicle accidents, explosions, tsunamis and many other natural and man-made disasters. The American Red Cross is not a government organization, although it has an enforced responsibility and authority that was granted in 1905 by a congressional charter which read:

“[The American Red Cross may] carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace and apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods, and other great national calamities, and to devise and carry on measures for preventing the same.”

This congressional charter gave the American Red Cross an obligation to provide disaster relief help to the nation and the victims that are effected by emergencies. In the event of a disaster or national emergency, no matter how severe, the American Red Cross provides diaster relief aid in the form of shelter, food, clean water and medical services to people who need it and were affected by the crisis. The disaster relief aid provided by the organization also gives families and victims the assistance needed to carry on their normal routines and start their life up again. They even enlist multilingual volunteers in situations that may need it, especially if the American Red Cross helps nations abroad.

Many people believe that the American Red Cross, in addition to disaster relief help, they also carry out search and rescue missions and send ambulances to areas effected by a major disaster. This is not the case, however, and is a common misconception by the public. The American Red Cross provides disaster relief aid but they do not perform immediate-response actions. Their goal is, rather, to perform services that look more towards the long-term so that people can be put back on their feet.

Fire Departments

This is the first phase in emergency and natural disaster management that responds to the actual incident. An disaster response team usually includes firefighters, policemen, and medical teams sent in as a first measure to contain a situation before it gets out of hand, search for survivors and assess the situation. Disaster response and disaster aid is the step of disaster management that precedes mitigation and preparedness. Response efforts are greatly improved when proper mitigation and preparedness is established first before a disaster occurs.

Emergency Services:
When a crisis situation occurs and disaster response teams are needed, emergency services are sent to the location to contain it and save lives. Emergency services are organizations established to ensure the safety of the public. Each organization is designed to handle different types of situations and other some specifically handle situations that are severe in nature.

Main Types of Emergency Services:
• Police: Tasked with providing community safety and enforce the law to reduce crime.
• Fire Departments: Provide disaster aid by carrying out fire and rescue missions and other disaster response services.
• Medical Service: Medical staffs that provide disaster aid by tending to injured persons.

Other Emergency and Disaster Response Organizations:

Coastguard: Patrol the coast to ensure security near the ocean and also carry out search and rescue missions.
Military: Used in times of catastrophic disasters to provide disaster response through bomb disposal and relieving civil violence.
Technical Rescue: Provide disaster aid in search and rescue missions that require specialty services to carry out.
Wildland fire suppression: A service that predicts, identifies and helps to control wildfires from starting or spreading.

Civil Emergency Services:
• Public Utilities: These emergency services specialize in electricity and gas to safeguard these dangerous hazards.
• Emergency Roadside Service: Provide disaster response to drivers that are stranded or need help on the roads.
• Poison Control: Provide support for poisoned victims who need disaster aid.
• Animal Control: Provide disaster aid for situations involving potentially dangerous animals.

Effective emergency service coordination involves all agencies working in a disaster situation to have proper communication. Without useful communication in a disaster, many lives could be lost or the situation could become worse. The national standard, National Incident Management System (NIMS), is a structure of emergency management used in the United States and developed by the United States Department of Homeland Security. Deriving from the Incident Command System established in California after a catastrophic wildfire, NIMS provides a system of effective communication established between agencies. These agencies can be located in different jurisdictions, whether they are private, public or governmental organizations. While the NIMS structure is only used in severe disaster response situations, millions of emergency workers take NIMS courses to better their skills and management in any situation, no matter how severe.

United Nations

Disaster relief professionals (also known as emergency managers or emergency workers) are trained in a variety of disciplines in all aspects of emergency response, preparation, relief and mitigation. Disaster relief work encompasses the preparation of government, organization and community officials so that they will be able to effectively respond to and act in the event of an emergency situation. There are many international, national and local relief organizations that contribute their efforts for responding to and preventing both man-made and natural disasters. Some of the widest-known relief organizations are detailed below:

International Organizations:

United Nations:

Although the United Nations handles many affairs other than disaster response, they are also a relief organization, providing aid to many different countries. The Resident Coordinator that is assigned to a country is in charge of organizing an emergency response. In most cases, a United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team is sent out to help facilitate communication and organization.

Red Cross / Red Crescent:

The Red Cross / Red Crescent relief organizations is comprised of a group of 186 societies within many countries that deliver significant contributions in the event of a crisis. Their primary focus is on the disaster relief and recovery aspect of emergency management. Their goal is to “improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity” by promoting humanitarian principals and values, educating the public for better preparedness, and to supplementing the societies with youth activities.

World Bank:

The World Bank is a relief organization that has contributed about $40 billion in disaster management in 500 operations since 1980. Not only does the World Bank provide disaster relief through reconstruction projects, budget also goes towards the prevention of disasters and the minimization of damage done by a disaster through mitigating efforts. The countries most affected by the World Bank are Argentina, Bangladesh, Colombia, Haiti, India, Mexico, Turkey, and Vietnam.

National Organizations:

United States:

FEMA:

The agency most responsible in the United States for emergency management is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is directed under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Under the directives of FEMA, the United States is divided into ten regions that respond to emergency situations under a hierarchy of several agencies across tribal, state, county and local jurisdictions.

Citizen Corps:

A volunteer relief organization, it is a system that is used for local situations, but at the same time, it is coordinated nationally by the DHS. Their primary focus is disaster mitigation and preparation of emergency response through education, training, and spreading their message.

United Kingdom:

In the United Kingdom, the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 defines relief organizations as either Category 1 and 2 Responders. Disaster management is generally handled by local organizations. One of them, the Institute of Emergency Management, was established in 1996 and provides consultation and communication relating to disasters to the government and media.

Canada:

Public Safety Canada:

Canada’s primary emergency management relief organization, Public Safety Canada (PS) coordinates and provides assistance to ensure that national security and the safety of citizens is preserved.

Disaster Preparedness Checklist

A natural disaster is the result of when a natural hazard affects humans. The amount of human vulnerability is the factor that leads to financial, environmental, or human impact. The amount of vulnerability that humans may have to a natural hazard can be subsided by proper emergency management, preparedness, and mitigation. The amount of damage and the death toll from a natural disaster usually depends on the ability of the population to resist, prepare, or lessen the affects of a natural disaster. The general notion is that “natural disasters happen when hazards collide with vulnerability”.

The key to surviving and minimizing damage is to lessen vulnerability. This can be done if the proper steps are taken in the event of an emergency. It is important to have a disaster preparedness plan. This ensures that when a disaster does strike, you will be ready. In the event of an emergency, one will be required to make split-second decisions, and not being ready to make the right ones can mean the difference between life and death. A disaster preparedness checklist can help a great deal as well. The disaster preparedness checklist should be discussed with your friends and family.

Disaster Preparedness Checklist:

Contact an American Red Cross Facility:

* Discover which disasters are likely to occur in your area.
* Find out information on how to prepare for such an emergency.
* Ask about proper disaster preparedness plans that would be effective in such emergencies.
* If you work in a certain area prone to other disasters, develop a disaster preparedness plan for your work as well.
* Develop a disaster preparedness plan for a child or children you may have in daycare.

Developing a Disaster Preparedness Plan:

* Discuss with all family members or friends that live within your household about possible effects of earthquakes, hurricanes or other disasters that may cause fires or other hazards in your household.
* Depending on the type of disaster(s) your area is prone to, find the safe spot for each one.
* Make sure you have a plan if an injury occurs, such as having a first-aid kit handy.
* Make sure all members of the household know how to shut off water, electricity or gas in the event of an emergency.
* Teach young children how to dial for an emergency for police or fire.
* Have a family member or friend who lives out of state as an emergency contact for your family.
* Decide on one or two places to meet in the event of an emergency.

Have Supply Kits Handy:
This is an important part of the disaster preparedness checklist because they provide essential supplies that you will need in an emergency. Include:

* Water (about one to three gallons per person in strong containers).
* Non-perishable foods.
* Blankets or sleeping bags.
* Change of clothing for each person.
* A first aid kit including any prescription medications a member of the household may require.
* A battery-powered radio and flashlight.
* Credit cards or cash.
* Extra pair of glasses if a member of the household requires it.

Tsunami Relief

The tsunami that occurred in the Indian Ocean in 2004 was one of the most catastrophic disasters to happen in recent history. On December 26, 2004, an earthquake struck near the northwest coast of the Indonesian island, Sumatra. The earthquake was measured to be a 9.0 magnitude and resulted in a tsunami that damaged coasts along the rim of the Indian Ocean. The countries that were the most devastated by the tsunami were India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. In total, 230,000 people lost their lives, with thousands of others injured. In addition, about 10 million people were left homeless as a result of the tsunami destruction.

Humanitarian Efforts for Tsunami Relief:
At the forefront of the tsunami help efforts was the Indian and Thailand governments providing mobilized tsunami relief to coastal areas directly effected by the tsunami. Civil Society Organizations were also quick to respond to provide aid and resources that were desperately needed. The Indian government also provided tsunami relief in the form of naval ships to countries that neighbored them and were among the countries most effected by the disaster. This was very important because Sri Lanka and Indonesia were not prepared to handle the disasterous effects of the tsunami.

The tsunami relief effort prioritized their efforts to make sure that first the essentials were given to people who needed it. The governments and humanitarian agencies that were first to respond gave food and clean water to refugees who were left homeless, without clean water and with little or no food. Also, medical care for injured persons was also provided in the tsunami help effort. This was especially important, because death tolls from the aftermath of the tsunami were in danger of rapidly rising due to unsanitary conditions causing preventable diseases.

Since all water was deemed undrinkable because of being contaminated with salt, corpses, and other unsafe substances, water purification systems were sent to the area surrounding the Indian Ocean rim. Another priority for tsunami help was to send medical personnel to help treat the wounded and sick and provide relief for overcrowded shelters and hospitals. Next, clean clothing, tents for shelter, and body bags for safe corpse disposal were shipped to the area.

Further Tsunami Relief:
The United States government added a total of $350 million in pledge support for the victims of the tsunami, while the U.S. Navy aided in search-and-rescue missions to find survivors. Many people criticized the relief effort though as being “competitive” and not as useful as intended. Also, while many nations pledged financial support, there were worries that they would not live up to them by actually paying.

Evaluation of the Tsunami Help Effort:
After the tsunami help effort was finished, an evaluation of the situation was conducted, showing that the initial needs for the locals was met, but agencies had room for improvement for the longer-term needs. The areas that needed better planning, coordination and execution were lines of communication, accountability to persons who needed tsunami relief, and transparency towards donors.

Facts on Tsunamis

Facts on Tsunamis: An Introduction

A tsunami is a large wave or a series of large waves that are created in the ocean or another large body of water. They are usually the result of a massive earthquake below the surface of the water, a landslide, or meteorite impact, causing such a large displacement of water, that the energy built up travels a great distance to the shoreline. Many people refer to tsunamis as “tidal waves” but since tsunamis are not created or effected by tide, this is not a proper term to use.

Tsunami Facts: Characteristics

Tsunami waves are different from a typical wave that are seen on the shoreline. Most normal waves are formed from wind that occurs offshore and are very small. Tsunamis, on the other hand, can be about 100 km wide while they are in the middle of the ocean. Tsunamis are very fast too, traveling at about 700 to 800 km an hour (about the speed of an airliner) and can be very hard to spot because in the open ocean, they are roughly just a meter high. When a tsunami approaches the shore in shallower water, it begins to rise and slow down. A tsunami can rise as high as ten stories when it reaches land and travels faster than the average person can run. Also, tsunamis usually come in groups, called a wave train, spreading across several hours and the first wave is not always the biggest.

The energy of a tsunami may be dissipated by structures underneath the ocean’s surface, such as reefs, river entrances and other undersea formations. In places with a great deal of similar obstacles, tsunamis may only cause the sea to rise a couple feet. Other places may be affected differently by tsunamis as they travel 100 feet above land.

The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami Facts:
The tsunami that occurred in the Indian Ocean in 2004 was one of the most catastrophic disasters to happen in recent history. Below are several Indian Ocean tsunami facts that demonstrate how deadly tsunamis are.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami traveled well over 3,000 miles to the shoreline of Africa without much loss of energy, killing many people and causing a great deal of damage to the coastline. Waves from this tsunami reached 30 feet high in certain places. The amount of energy released by the Indian Ocean tsunami is estimated to have been equal to the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. The force of the waves killed more than 150,000 people by the end of that day and left million of people homeless. Months later, the death tolls as a result of the tsunamis reached a total of more than 200,000 people.

The earthquake that caused the tsunami was measured to have a 9.0 magnitude. The epicenter was estimated to be in the Indian Ocean, near the west coast Sumatra, an Indonesian island. The tectonic plates that were under pressure under the ocean released a great deal of energy that displaced a great amount of water and energy waves were sent in every direction. Due to the force of the tectonic plates giving way, trillions of tons of rock across hundreds of miles were shifted about 10 yards, causing one of the most powerful earthquakes in recorded history.

International Red Cross

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement that accounts for approximately 97 million volunteers worldwide. The purpose of this movement was to contribute to the protection of human life and for their well-being. This includes alleviating human suffering without discriminating anybody based on their nationality, race, sex, religion, political opinion, or social class. There is no single organization named “International Red Cross”, rather it is a group of independently- run organizations that share a common purpose of humanitarianism. Red Cross disaster relief is one of their most popular functions, providing support and supplies to countries that have been effected by a natural disaster or terrorist attack.

American Red Cross Disaster Relief:
The American branch of the Red Cross is the humanitarian movement within the United States that provides similar functions such as Red Cross disaster relief and prevention of human suffering as its international sister organizations. American Red Cross disaster relief is just one of its many functions. The American Red Cross helps the needy, provides communication services for the military, the collection of blood and related products for those that need it, provides educational resources about health and safety, and international Red Cross disaster relief development initiatives.

All of the decisions made by the American Red Cross are done by volunteers and donations from the community help support it. It has 700 chapters and 36 different Blood Service region all across the country. About 30,000 volunteers provide mobilized services for American Red Cross disaster relief duties for people effected by 67,000 disasters annually. It is also the largest supplier of blood and blood-related products, providing them to over 3,000 hospitals across the entire nation.

History of the Red Cross Movement:
The Red Cross disaster relief movement started when Swiss businessman, Henry Dunant, traveled to Italy to meet with Napoleon III. There, he witnessed a bloody battle in the Austro-Sardinian War and was shocked at the lack of basic care for all the soldiers that were wounded. About 40,000 soldiers died, and thousands of others were left dying without any type of medical care. After abandoning the original reason for his visit, he organized groups of locals to treat wounded soldiers, without discrimination. Later, he began promoting the formation of national voluntary relief organizations. Soon, the International Committee of the Red Cross was established. His efforts would eventually evolve into the Red Cross disaster relief movement of today, which became popular for its volunteer work.

Notable Parts in the Red Cross Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Movement:

* The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the private humanitarian institution founded in 1863.
* The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), founded in 1919, handles activities of 186 Red Cross disaster relief organizations across the World.
* National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are societies that exist in nearly every country in the world, handled by the ICRC.