Hurricane Katrina and FEMA Reform

Overview

Background of Case Study:

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast and broke the levee protecting New Orleans leaving an unofficial total of 1,383 people dead and some 85 percent of the affected areas homeless and 6,600 persons still missing as of mid-December 2005. The death toll and other records are unofficial because the "record-keeping on refugees is chaotic, scattered, haphazard, and utterly inadequate" according to journalist Robert Lindsay (2006) with losses estimated to be over $55 billion, displacing the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack as the single-most expensive insured occurrence in the US (or is it?).

The disaster-relief system created by FEMA, where public and private agencies provide disaster prevention and relief, is highly bureaucratic in its organization and in its responses to disasters. Prior to Hurricane Katrina the US public assumed the nationwide disaster preparedness system (DPS) located in the Department of Homeland Security (which includes FEMA - the Federal Emergency Management Agency) and the Red Cross, - could effectively deal with the hurricane aftermath in the gulf coast region. Since Katrina, there have been several attempts at bureaucratic reform. Under the Trump Administration, these reforms continue with the possible dismantling of the administrative state and its role in disaster relief.

With this in mind please read/watch the following websites/articles/documentaries (links below) and address the following questions:

1. When was FEMA created? How is FEMA organized? Where is it located? What is its mission? (See org charts)
2. According to the sources, what were the issues the states faced during Katrina? (Videos, readings)
3. What were the issues in FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina? (Be specific)
4. How did this case study relate to the textbook? How does it highlight the social equity issues discussed in Shaffritz? What are the social equity issues? (be specific)
5. Who is to blame for the failure in the government response (state, federal) to Hurricane Katrina?
6. As a result of Katrina, list at least 3 reforms made to FEMA.
7. How did Hurricane Maria, further demonstrate weakness in FEMA response and social equity?
8. In what ways were (pre Trump) the reforms successful? What other reforms are needed?
9. How has the Trump Administration (DOGE) restructured FEMA? What impact do you believe this will have on Federal responses to national emergencies/disasters (see Articles below)? What does it suggest about the future of Federalism (Federal/State Relations).
10. What other observations can you make? What did you learn about public administration as a result of this case study? PROVIDE A CURRENT EVENT THAT DEMONSTRATES UPDATES TO FEMA (STATE OR FEDERAL) AND DISCUSS IN YOUR CONCLUSION.

Please follow discussion guidelines which include the following:

1. Provide references (at least 5 citations from each reading) in your post (INCLUDE CITATIONS FROM THE Chapters from the textbook)
2. Provide timestamps (around 10, to back up your examples; e.g., 30:15). If a film is 50 minutes long you should have around 10 time stamps/examples. If the film is under 30 minutes, you should have at least 3 examples/time stamps in your post).
3. Please view this documentary objectively, it is important that you observe the viewpoints in the film and analyze the information provided.
4. Include a works cited section (at the bottom of your post).
5. Sources to use (in addition to your textbook :) :Videos/News Stories/Commentaries1. Spike Lee When the Levies Broke (Act I/Part I): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjFCv6JvZnU.Links to an external site.. 2. Katrina Relief and Kanye West: "George Bush doesn't care about black people" (2 videos, 1 story)Links to an external site.Kayne West:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJUNTcOGeSwLinks to an external site.. Katrina 10 years later from Democracy NOW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTuRPuhneAs&t=20sLinks to an external site.. CNN--West's impact on culture: https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/13/entertainment/kanye-katrina-tv-on-the-edge/index.htmlLinks to an external site.. 3. NPR FEMA Reports Failures in Puerto Rico-- https://www.npr.org/2018/07/13/628861808/fema-report-acknowledges-failures-in-puerto-rico-disaster-responseLinks to an external site.. 4. Trump ending FEMA programs: https://apnews.com/article/fema-grants-cuts-trump-emergency-management-disaster-bc36ea4ca328e1eb4a07641ba1fb770eLinks to an external site.. 5. Trump denying aid to Blue States (NBC News): https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/fema-north-carolina-washington-recovery-funds-rcna201417Links to an external site.. 6. Commentary---Trump's changes to FEMA and impact: https://blog.ucs.org/shana-udvardy/7-takeaways-from-trumps-disaster-preparedness-executive-order-and-what-it-means-for-us/Links to an external site.. 7. Trumps Executive Order 14180 and changes to FEMA: https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/proposed-changes-to-fema-and-the-future-of-federal-disaster-response/Links to an external site.. 8. DOGE and FEMA: https://apnews.com/article/americorps-volunteers-fema-doge-05b1d1cd53e0b5b9f64c17eaba7adf95Links to an external site..and Musk_Targeted_FEMA_Affecting_S.pdfActionsGovernment Org Charts:DHS 23_1109_mgmt_dhs-public-org-chart-508.pdfActionsFEMA fema-org-chart_feb-14-2020.pdfActionsGOV Websites/REPORTS:FEMA: WEBSITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION: https://www.fema.gov/Links to an external site.. FEMA: THIS REPORT HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE FEMA WEBSITE: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/current/hurricane-heleneLinks to an external site.. GAO Report: Economic Effects of Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, and Irma: https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-20-633rLinks to an external site.. CBO--FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund: Budgetary History and Projections (Nov. 2022): https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58840Links to an external site.. Think Tanks:Brookings Institute: Fixing FEMA (2023): https://www.brookings.edu/articles/federal-disaster-management-is-a-confusing-patchwork-reforming-fema-and-improving-interagency-coordination-can-fix-it/.Links to an external site.Center for Economic Policy Research (Trump Changes): https://cepr.net/publications/trumps-fema-reviewLinks to an external site.. CalMatters: Trump and CA wildfires: https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/01/la-fire-aid-conditions-republicans-congressLinks to an external site..