1. The Role of The National, State, and Local government during hurrican Katrina can be debated. Their roles are all unclear, but in the long run the federal government is supposed to respond to natural disasters by sending support. Whether the support be troops, food, blankets, or water, FEMA is supposed to respond to civilian request for supplies and help.
The state is supposed to take precautions to prevent the disaster getting worse. They are supposed to relay information back to FEMA for supplies and help.
The local government is supposed to plan as well. According to FEMA the local government is supposed to provide evacuation buses. They also relay information to the state government.
2. During Katrina, many government officials and civilians agree that FEMA waited too long to react. There were numerous press conferences in which FEMA said they were sending help toNew Orleans. President Bush also announced that he was sending supplies. It took them one week after the hurricane to send food, troops, blankets, and other supplies. And this was after officials fromNew Orleanscomplained for days. In my opinion FEMA was very unorganized during the disaster. Even the chief of the FEMA organization admitted that he lied about sending aid toNew Orleanshelp to stop panic!
The state government didn’t do much to help either. When FEMA (before being merged with Department of Homeland Security) offered a prevention program to prepare for natural disasters,Louisianadeclined. By accepting the offerNew Orleanswould’ve been protected and prepared for Katrina. Also,Louisiana’s natural guard was positioned on low ground and when the levees failed. All communication was depleted and the guard was inactive because of the flood. It’s arguable that the state was just as responsible for the lack of response to Katrina as FEMA was.
The local government was much more involved because Hurricane Katrina affected it directly. In an attempt to help survivors, ¾ of the police force inNew Orleansscoured the waters until they couldn’t anymore. On the other hand, there weren’t enough boats, and no buses for evacuation because they were flooded. But mayor Brown did warn for evacuation prior to the disaster over the radio. Honestly, evacuation is federal law, and shouldn’t have had to be coordinated by the mayor.
3. I agree with the notion that the federal government shouldn't interfere with natural disasters unless they are above a certain scale. Of course, they can help the local and state governments prepare for disasters, but should have set conditions.