An Analysis of the Hurricane Catrina Relief Effort

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In a state of national emergency, the United States government is expected to be efficient and organized. When Hurricane Katrina struck on August 25th, 2005, the United States government was not readily prepared for such an immense disaster. The mismanagement of relief efforts by the U.S. government led to a lack of adequate assistance to U.S. victims along with a prolonged restoration period for those in need. Had the government accepted more foreign aid and further prepared for the storm, hurricane Katrina may not have proved such a disaster in our nation’s history. This essay will explain how foreign aid was integrated into the relief effort. Additionally, this essay will explore the government’s refusal of aid from various countries willing to provide assistance and the lessons that can be learned from our nation’s actions in the aftermath of Katrina.

In August of 2005, no one could predict the brutality and intensity of the natural disaster that was about to strike the city of New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina, known as one of the top natural disasters in our nation’s history, filled the city of New Orleans with water, leaving it a disaster area. Thousands of people’s lives were turned upside down by the damage and devastation that occurred from the impact of the storm. With a storm surge entering the city over 20 feet high, residents were forced to flee and abandon their Louisiana lifestyles. The Port of Mobile in Alabama, which did not even endure the full impact of the storm, sustained an estimated 28 million dollars in damages alone due to the storm (GAO 2006). Although an official estimate was not released, the total economic impact from Katrina is predicted to be around $150 billion in total damages (Kenny, 2013), an i...

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...alth Reports 123(5):555.

Kelman, Ilan. 2007. "Hurricane Katrina Disaster Diplomacy." Disasters 31(3):288-309.

McNeill, Jena. 2/7/2011. "Accepting Disaster Relief from Other Nations: Lessons from Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill." The Heritage Foundation:3/1/14.

Nation Master. 4/18/2006. "International Aid Response: Countries Compared." Nation Master:3/1/14.

Provost, Claire. 4/6/2011. "Aid from OECD Countries - Who Gives the most and how has it Changed?." The Guardian Data Blog:3/1/14.

Robillard, Kevin. 10/3/12. "10 Facts about the Katrina Response." Politico:3/1/14.

Solomon, John. 4/30/2007. "U.S. Refused most Offers of Aid for Hurricane Katrina." The New York Sun:3/1/14.

Walker, David. 3/8/2006. "Hurricane Katrina - GAO’s Preliminary Observations regarding Preparedness, Response, and Recovery." United States Government Accountability Office:3/1/14.

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