Hurricane Andrew the Impact Hurricane Research Proposal

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Despite there being a "Federal Response Plan" in place, the bureaucratic machinery took a long time to activate. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which was supposed to implement the Federal Response Plan, was hardly in a state to respond adequately to the situation. The Agency was still geared to respond primarily to a massive nuclear attack and saw its main responsibility as distributing federal loans and grants to help rebuild an area after a disaster. It would not issue direct aid to a state until it was given a specific request by the governor, and the state was unable to issue specific requests for aid because it had no one was available to assess the damage (Franklin). Federal help was so slow in arriving that a frustrated director of Dade County's Emergency Office made the famous remark, "... Where the hell is the cavalry on this one?" (Quoted by Lerbinger, 61) the quote captured the overall sense of frustration and helplessness that disaster victims felt. Stung by the criticism of the federal response to the emergency, President Bush created a presidential task force headed by Transportation Secretary Andrew H. Card, Jr. For jump-starting the entire disaster response process. Although Card took important measures that helped expedite the delivery of governmental assistance; but by bypassing existing policies and processes, these measures ultimately proved disruptive and expensive and caused greater confusion and hindered a coordinated response to the disaster (Schneider, 100).

In addition, as if two cooks were not enough to 'spoil the broth' the federal government sent in a third -- the military.

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It is true that the military performed important tasks in the disaster relief process following the hurricane. It quickly assessed the seriousness of the situation and airlifted in tons of food, supplies, and equipment to the affected areas; it cleared debris from the streets and airports; it used mobile field kitchens to serve meals to hungry citizens and relief workers; erected tent cities to house the homeless; and it operated clinic facilities that provided emergency medical care to local residents (Ibid.) the army and marine troops also helped to stabilize conditions in the disaster-stricken areas and controlled the looting and vigilante response. Yet the military often acted independently of other organizations and agencies and bypassed the official disaster-response structure -- the FEMA -- as well as the "unofficial" presidential emergency operation -- the presidential task force -- adding more confusion to an already haphazard disaster relief effort.

Conclusion

Hurricane Andrew was one of the costliest natural disasters to have hit the United States. It affected the southern part of Florida most severely. Although some measures such as timely evacuation of people along the coast helped to minimize the loss of lives, the uncoordinated and sluggish response of the government and disaster relief agencies to address the aftermath of the storm, aggravated its impact, especially in Florida.

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"Hurricane Andrew The Impact Hurricane" (2008, September 21) Retrieved May 7, 2024, from
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