PS691
Final Celebration
In-Class Study Guide
Outline of the Exam:
Section I: Timeline (10 points)
In this section, you will be asked to place the following ten events into the proper chronological
order.
Hurricane Betsy
Galveston Hurricane
September 11th
Creation of the Red Cross
Establishment of FEMA
Hurricane Katrina
Dust Bowl
Passage of original Federal Disaster Relief Act
Great Influenza Pandemic
Passage of the Stafford Act
Section II: Measuring Disaster (5 points)
In this section, you will be asked to match a means by which we measure disasters with the disaster
they measure.
Section III: Disaster Cycle (10 points)
In this section, you will be asked to define the four stages in the disaster process and discuss each.
You will need to know examples of activities within each stage.
Section IV: Short Essays (75 points—25 points x 3 essays)
I will provide you with nine essays broken into three groups of three and you will select one essay
per group to write on.
Broad essay topics will include:
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The four types of disaster management exercises and how valuable they really are
The role of the media in disasters
Means of mitigating and which seem to be the strongest/weakest
Moral hazard and whether government should keep rebuilding in same places
Greatest threat to America today
The early history of FEMA and how James Lee Witt transformed the office
The difficulties for disaster managers in a world of terrorism
Criterion for focusing events and the role these play in disaster management
Stafford Act’s impact on federalism and whether it is efficient and/or effective