Hurricane Katrina, that hit Louisiana in the late August, proved to be a disaster on many levels. Apart from the human tragedy and suffering of thousands of people, who lost their homes and families, material goods and any sense of security, federal government and state officials lost their credibility; people lost their trust in them. As Jack Welch, former CEO and chairman of GE put it, probably only Mother Nature was spared from the overall criticism (A20). What was mostly stressed, in the analysis of the hurricane aftermath, was the disastrous crisis-management, or even the lack of it in many cases, on the part of federal and state authorities. We observed the complete lack of communication between federal government, state government, and the cities', mainly New Orleans, officials. Inefficiency, no initiative, no clear leadership, delay in every action, and overall chaos can characterize the behavior of those who should try to prevent and minimize the damages.
2005-8-26 Hurricane Katrina
2005-8-25 Hurricane Katrina
2005-8-25 Hurricane KatrinaAnd on top of everything, most of the areas and people hit and affected by the Katrina were not prepared for the scale of disaster.
Katrina was hugely devastating and the magnitude of its damage will linger probably for some time, in areas affected and in minds of people who witnessed that disaster. However, the federal and state officials, as well as ordinary people can derive a lesson from Katrina. This was not the first such disaster, and it surely was not the last one. According to earth scientist, due to changes in climate and global warming, hurricanes and other natural disasters will appear more frequently. How can we, ordinary citizens as well as officials on different levels, prevent such after-disaster crisis? How can we better manage crisis? Are there ways to diminish people's suffering? And mostly importantly, who should pay for everything?...