Hurricane Katrina: A Critique on U.S. Government's Response

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On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and New Orleans in the United States. It was the most disastrous storm to strike the United States, with winds of 100-140 miles per hour and causing $108 billion in damage. Although predictions were made about the occurrence of the hurricane, nobody was truly prepared for the extensive destruction it would cause. Also, the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina was highly insufficient for multiple reasons—it did not provide immediate aid, helped only selective people, and many more. The response rightfully turned American citizens against the United States government, and showed its true inefficiency towards a natural disaster. First of all, the response towards Hurricane Katrina …show more content…

This was primarily due to President George W. Bush’s ignorance towards the current situation. At the time of the hurricane, President Bush was on vacation which was forced to be cut short. He returned from vacation on August 31, about two days after Hurricane Katrina had already struck. Many people claim that President Bush was unaware about the extent of the disaster, and that the response would have been much more effective if he had a plan. According to Newsweek, “the president of the United States [had less] ‘situational awareness’ than the average American about the worst natural disaster in a century.” Quite obviously, President Bush lacked responsibility and initiative towards the disaster, and this was a major cause for the delayed …show more content…

Most importantly, George W. Bush’s approval rates dropped drastically. According to ABC News, “opinion has moved further away from Bush and his administration. Fifty-four percent now disapprove of his work on the hurricane...four days after the storm hit the Gulf Coast...Sixty-three percent say that two weeks after the hurricane hit, the administration still lacks a clear plan on how to handle it” (ABC). Also, the lowest point of Bush’s presidency showed that he had a forty-two percent acceptance rate, a huge drop compared to the peak he reached during the 9/11 terrorist attack. Clearly, at the time, many people associated the negative effects after Katrina, to President Bush and his irresponsibility towards facilitating a rescue process. Furthermore, President Bush relied largely on non-government facilities to provide aid (UNC). For the first time, the United States President implied to the citizens that they should turn away from the government when asking for disaster relief. This was unprecedented, because most political figures endorse the government and its services. Overall, this significantly contributed to the drops in Bush’s approval

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