Hurricane
Katrina the Public's pages Tropical
Storm - Hurricane Wilma Page
Photographs News media Blogs Graphics and Maps Helpful phone numbers
Reports -- State
of Florida
State
of Georgia State of
Mississippi State of Alabama
State of Louisiana
US GovermentPhotographs News media Blogs Graphics and Maps Helpful phone numbers
MCI LAUNCHES TOLL FREE SERVICE TO REUNITE LOVED ONES IMPACTED BY HURRICANE KATRINA
For links and
phone numbers for missing
persons in
the Disaster
area
On the State pages listed above you will find situation reports
generated by the States after Katrina came ashore. In addition,
the State pages provide links to graphics showing the areas designated
to be part of the disaster area by Federal agencies and other reports
and assessments of the damage generated by Hurricane Katrina that
relate to the particular states. The US Government page contains
reports by various agencies that address the disaster in a larger
context, as it affects more than one state and our nation as a
whole. The Public's pages contain links to information and
resources suggested to us by the public.
The Katrina Diary
Many of us have been arguing for a comprehensive risk/threat management strategy that recognizes that we live in a single risk threat universe.
We have not applied the principles of risk/threat management to the development of Homeland Security policy. We did not apply them before 911 and we are not applying it now. This in turn led to the events of 911, our lack of success in Iraq, and played a role in the events that took place in New Orleans.
Were risk/threat assessments and management policy properly developed and implemented we would have policy analogous to that described by Sun Tsu who wrote that the general who knew his enemy and knew himself could never be defeated. Unfortunately, our approach has not even achieved a victory for every defeat that we have suffered.
Not having a policy based on risk/threat management means that inside the beltway the interest groups, bureaucrats and Congress have a great leeway in determining how Homeland Security money will be spent. There are no obstacles placed by reason, logic, and common sense in front of the development of that policy. This is the underlying problem, which enabled terrorists to succeed in attacking the United States on 911, and in a variety of disasters that have taken place since then.
The forth branch of our government, the media, is complicate in this system. The media depends on the interest groups, the bureaucrats, and lawmakers more than those groups depend upon the media. With the consolidation of the media in the United States, the media identifies more strongly with these groups than they do with problems that the individual confronts when dealing with government. It isn't news if the government screws you over. It would be news if you won in a case in a court of law against government.
Our law is derived from a system of government in which the King and his servants had immunity for their acts, because if they killed you there was nothing that anyone could do about it. Today if a government action or inaction result in people dying it is news, but that doesn't mean you should expect to win such a case in a court of law.
Government is about unity. Its not unity with you. It's about unity within the agency, the department, the branch of government and the government as a whole. Government is a tribal organization, and you, the average citizen, are not a member of that tribe. You are an object that government believes needs to be controlled. Government believes that it is “THE FORCE” that is the only cause for order in the universe, and therefore it needs to be free to be incompetent, irresponsible and lawless.
There are circumstances in which government may need to act to restore order. Innocent individuals may be harmed in the process. The problem is that having the freedom to be incompetent, irresponsible, and lawless, is that this is the direction in which government policy tends.
When a disaster like this happens under our system of government the people are ultimately to responsible for providing the force for change because we have a form of government that can be changed by amendment and the people can elect new representatives.
Emergency managers are like little fish in a big pound filled with bigger fish that have sharper teeth. The organizations and individuals that are involved in the planning and response to disasters simply do not have the power to impose a risk/threat management policy other than that which the community leaders will permit, if they want to retain their employment. Risk/threat management is based upon determinations of the probability of events taking place and the consequences of that event. If the hurricane had not caused the dikes to fail the emergency mangers involved may have lost their jobs had they advocated or implemented a more aggressive evacuation policy.
A similar disaster could take place anywhere in the United States with the same results. This is something that you should be upset about and you have the opportunity to do something about it before that disaster takes place. How many of the people now complaining about the consequences of the process been involved in their local community's disaster planning process or understand the risks and threats which exist in their own community?
Because the vast majority of people are not involved in the policy development process and don't understand risk/threat management, by default, interest groups, bureaucrats, and representatives, are making decisions that may, like for the people of New Orleans, have life changing consequences for them.
The Disaster Center
(return to top of page)
Many of us have been arguing for a comprehensive risk/threat management strategy that recognizes that we live in a single risk threat universe.
We have not applied the principles of risk/threat management to the development of Homeland Security policy. We did not apply them before 911 and we are not applying it now. This in turn led to the events of 911, our lack of success in Iraq, and played a role in the events that took place in New Orleans.
Were risk/threat assessments and management policy properly developed and implemented we would have policy analogous to that described by Sun Tsu who wrote that the general who knew his enemy and knew himself could never be defeated. Unfortunately, our approach has not even achieved a victory for every defeat that we have suffered.
Not having a policy based on risk/threat management means that inside the beltway the interest groups, bureaucrats and Congress have a great leeway in determining how Homeland Security money will be spent. There are no obstacles placed by reason, logic, and common sense in front of the development of that policy. This is the underlying problem, which enabled terrorists to succeed in attacking the United States on 911, and in a variety of disasters that have taken place since then.
The forth branch of our government, the media, is complicate in this system. The media depends on the interest groups, the bureaucrats, and lawmakers more than those groups depend upon the media. With the consolidation of the media in the United States, the media identifies more strongly with these groups than they do with problems that the individual confronts when dealing with government. It isn't news if the government screws you over. It would be news if you won in a case in a court of law against government.
Our law is derived from a system of government in which the King and his servants had immunity for their acts, because if they killed you there was nothing that anyone could do about it. Today if a government action or inaction result in people dying it is news, but that doesn't mean you should expect to win such a case in a court of law.
Government is about unity. Its not unity with you. It's about unity within the agency, the department, the branch of government and the government as a whole. Government is a tribal organization, and you, the average citizen, are not a member of that tribe. You are an object that government believes needs to be controlled. Government believes that it is “THE FORCE” that is the only cause for order in the universe, and therefore it needs to be free to be incompetent, irresponsible and lawless.
There are circumstances in which government may need to act to restore order. Innocent individuals may be harmed in the process. The problem is that having the freedom to be incompetent, irresponsible, and lawless, is that this is the direction in which government policy tends.
When a disaster like this happens under our system of government the people are ultimately to responsible for providing the force for change because we have a form of government that can be changed by amendment and the people can elect new representatives.
Emergency managers are like little fish in a big pound filled with bigger fish that have sharper teeth. The organizations and individuals that are involved in the planning and response to disasters simply do not have the power to impose a risk/threat management policy other than that which the community leaders will permit, if they want to retain their employment. Risk/threat management is based upon determinations of the probability of events taking place and the consequences of that event. If the hurricane had not caused the dikes to fail the emergency mangers involved may have lost their jobs had they advocated or implemented a more aggressive evacuation policy.
A similar disaster could take place anywhere in the United States with the same results. This is something that you should be upset about and you have the opportunity to do something about it before that disaster takes place. How many of the people now complaining about the consequences of the process been involved in their local community's disaster planning process or understand the risks and threats which exist in their own community?
Because the vast majority of people are not involved in the policy development process and don't understand risk/threat management, by default, interest groups, bureaucrats, and representatives, are making decisions that may, like for the people of New Orleans, have life changing consequences for them.
The Disaster Center
(return to top of page)
For previous days entries see our Katrina Diary
(return to top of page)
August 31, 2005
USFA Request to Mobilize Fire Service Members
(return to top of page)
August 31, 2005
USFA Request to Mobilize Fire Service Members
Advisory
Situation Reports from The HSUS Disaster Center
