To: Mayor Mitch Landrieu; Gov. Bobby Jindal; FEMA Administrator William Fugate
From: Vicky Carrillo- Dept. Of Homeland Security- Director of Operations & Planning
Subject: Hurricane Preparedness Review
Date: April 8, 2015
August marks ten years since Hurricane Katrina. Although we do not anticipate the same
mistakes, the Department of Homeland Security is sending this memo as a reminder of
the issues of Katrina’s disaster management. As the current political leaders, we trust you
will review the memo and be prepared for the approaching hurricane season. This memo
will provide a brief summary of Katrina; identify main players involved; explain how
politics interfered, and review solutions on how to avoid this problem again.
Summary- New Orleans has a long history of damaged levees and flooding. In
2005, the system was still flawed and “despite numerous predictions that a Category 4 or
5” could hit, little disaster planning had been done (Lalwani, 2007, p. 10). When Katrina
made landfall, the immediate effects were fatal and horrifying. Dealing with the
aftermath was also appalling. Even with a 56-hour warning, Gov. Brown and Mayor
Nagin did not order mandatory evacuation until 19 hours before Katrina hit. Additionally,
standard operating procedures (SOPS) did not systemize a communication structure, and
left power in the wrong hands. Local, state, and federal powers struggled to work through
the system in place, and failed to get the necessary help for citizens in a timely manner.
Stakeholders- I have identified four main stakeholders using Michael Worth’s
(2014) technique of “[identifying] the characteristics, values, perceptions, expectations,
and concerns of stakeholders” (p. 167). For this situation, it is most beneficial to look at
the values and concerns. The following sentence shows how to read Table 1. “Governor
Blanco values the lives of the citizens, but is concerned that state mandate puts the …”
Table 1.
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Stakeholder
Values
New Orleans Residents
Gov. Blanco
Their lives, homes, safety, and
health.
The safety of residents; the rules
set in place by the system.
Mayor Nagin
“
Michael Brown,
Head of FEMA
“
Concerns
Death is a very possible outcome.
State mandate puts the mayor in charge (Lalwani,
p. 13). FEMA cannot help without state mandate.
Local gov does not have the capacity/budget to run
the relief efforts. FEMA cannot help without state
mandate.
Lately, FEMA has focused on terrorism, not
emergency management. Accusations within
department about appointments being made bc of
political connections, not expertise.
Politics Interfered with Administration- One major problem in how Katrina’s
aftermath was handled was that politics were involved within the Federal Emergency
Management Agency’s (FEMA) operations. This was upsetting because [1] FEMA was
supposed to be “the agency with the greatest experience” and [2] “disasters … totally
outstrip local and state resources” so federal support was desperately needed (Lalwani,
2007, p. 13 &14). It’s claimed that the leaders of FEMA (including Brown) obtained their
positions through political connections rather than expertise; thus, FEMA was unable to
do its job because it “lacked experience and [adequate training]” (Lalwani, 2007, p. 13).
Although Woodrow Wilson would tell you otherwise, politics can often interfere with
administration. In his essay, Wilson (1887) states “administration lies outside the proper
sphere of politics” (p. 210). Wilson (1887) continues, that politics should not “manipulate
[administration’s] offices” because administration should be carried out by the expert or
“technical official” (p. 210). However, politics can manipulate administration, and we
can lose the expertise - this is what we experienced with Brown as head of FEMA.
Networks, Satisficing, and Ethics- As administrators there are a few tactics we
can employ when politics interfere with administration. First, it is incredibly important
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that we recognize and utilize our networks. Networks can offer information, support, or
even funding. In their book, Gormley and Balla (2013) explain, “A network approach has
several advantages” including a variety of relationships, information systems, recognition
of “interorganizational bargaining” and common goals, and accountability pressures (p.
160). During Katrina, all players should have recognized the residents’ safety as a
common goal and worked towards it more quickly. Next, when dealing with an
emergency or complicating circumstances (i.e., unknowledgeable experts), satisficing is a
great way to make decisions. Gormley and Balla (2013) say, “while not necessarily ideal,
[the outcomes] are nonetheless quite satisfactory” (p.27). Satisficing is quick and
productive, which can make a difference between life and death in emergencies. Finally,
as administrators, we must always fall back on our ethics. In his book, Richard Box
(2015) explains, “Public officials are accountable to those who appoint them … and to
the public at large” (p. 8). Later, he tells that the corruption within government “at all
levels inspired people to look for solutions grounded in science and technique” (Box,
2015, p. 52). This offers a more up-to-date idea on Wilson’s thoughts. Wilson recognized
the importance of expertise outside of the politics; Box claims science [expertise] is
importance because of politics and the corruption in it.
Conclusion- Ten years ago, all levels of government failed to execute an
emergency action plan. One reason this occurred is that the “expert team” was warped by
politics. Politics interfering with administration is an issue of which Wilson cracked the
surface, and its noteworthiness is becoming clearer through authors like Box. We can
deal with this issue and emergencies situations by recognizing our networks, using
satisficing, and falling back on our ethics.
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References
Box, R. C. (2015). Public service values. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, Inc.
Gormley, W.T. & Balla, S. J. (2013). Bureaucracy and democracy: accountability and
performance (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE publications.
Lalwani, T. (2007). Hurricane katrina: a man-made crisis?. The Electronic Hallway. 1-15.
Wilson, W. (1887). The study of administration. Political Science Quarterly, 2(2),
197-222.
Worth, M. J. (2014). Nonprofit management (3rd ed.). Thousands Oaks: SAGE
Publications.
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