Natural Disaster Relief: Government Versus Private Organizations
Sample Student
Mrs. Tsuyuki
Senior Project
3 March 2007
Outline
Thesis Statement: The private organization system would be much less complicated than the
government system, the different private organizations would operate themselves, and yet, since
the different organizations provide different types of relief, it would provide a very thorough
relief system. The government disaster relief system would be much more complicated, and a
great deal slower. The reason for this tediousness is because every single decision would need to
go through the formal paperwork process.
I. Hurricane Katrina
A. Quick Facts
B. Natural Disaster
C. Economic Disaster
II. Government Organizations
A. Red Cross
B. Department of Homeland Security
C. Federal Emergency Management Agency
III. Private Organizations
A. Habitat for Humanity International
B. The Salvation Army
C. Oprah’s Angel Network and other private organizations
IV. Compare Government and Private Organizations
A. Compare both organizations
B. Conclusion on who provided better relief
V.
Conclusion
A. Closing comments on both the government and private organization regarding
Hurricane Katrina relief.
Bean 1
Sample Student
Mrs. Tsuyuki
Senior Project
3 March 2007
Natural Disaster Relief: Government Verses Private Organizations
Imagine being without power, communication or natural resources and the only true hope
is to rely upon divine intervention for survival. On August 29th, 2005 almost the entire Deep
South was hit by a category three hurricane, Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina was one of
the costliest natural disasters in the history of the United States, costing roughly 81.2 billion
dollars in damage (Hurricane Katrina 2). Research has revealed that, “Hurricane Katrina
devastated the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama; it ripped apart the Super
Dome, Flooded almost all of New Orleans and was the cause of roughly 1, 800 deaths” (1). It
has been almost two years since Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans Saints are back in the Super
Dome, New Orleans is no longer flooded, electricity has been restored and life is getting back to
normal, but how did the region recover? Both government and private organizations brought
relief to the devastated area, they provided: shelters, meals, medical help and much more. The
disaster raised questions as to how well of an immediate impact, did the private and government
organizations make in providing the basic necessities of life to the impacted area (1-2). The
private organization system would be much less complicated then the government system,
the different private organizations would operate themselves, and yet, since the different
organizations provide different types of relief, it would provide a very thorough relief
system. The government disaster relief system would be much more complicated, and a
Bean 2
great deal slower. The reason for this tediousness is because every single decision would
need to go through the formal paperwork process.
Hurricane Katrina was recorded as the third strongest hurricane to hit the United States
(About 33). The storm is estimated to have been responsible for 81.2 billion dollars in damage,
making it the costliest natural disaster in American history. According to the Federal Disaster
declarations, “Hurricane Katrina covered 90,000 square miles of the United States, an area that is
almost equivalent to the size of the United Kingdom” (National 166) which exemplifies the mass
of the storm. Before Hurricane Katrina hit, roughly 1.2 million people were evacuated from their
homes, but even though precautions were taken, the storm claimed the lives of over 1,800 people
(23). Hurricane Katrina was a devastating storm. Winds reached 125 miles per hour, brought an
average of eight inches of rain, and caused the ocean tide to rise above 14 feet. Hurricane Katrina
was categorized as an extremely strong three hurricane. Hurricane Katrina caused 90,000 people
in Louisiana to lose electricity in their homes, 1.3 million acres of forestry were destroyed, 30 oil
platforms were either damaged or destroyed, dropping normal gas production 18 percent, and
hundreds of thousands of residents were left unemployed. Hurricane Katrina was a catastrophic
disaster that devastated the south, 1.3 million people were evacuated, the southern economy
plunged because of the disaster, and crippling effects are still being felt today (Hurricane Katrina
5).
“The strategy is focused on a set of prioritized, integrated and long term initiatives to
build the region back better then it was before” (About 1). “After Hurricane Katrina, the
American Red Cross mounted the largest response to a disaster in the past 125 years,
immediately meeting the needs of the 1.4 million families” (Hurricane Recovery 1). The
Bean 3
American Red Cross relief workers numbered 219,500 people from all 50 states including Puerto
Rico and the Virgin Islands, all trying to provide basic necessities of life for the Hurricane
survivors (American 1). “The first priority for the American Red Cross before, during and after
any disaster, is to provide emergency food, water and shelter as well as, health and mental health
services to those in need” (Disaster 22). The American Red Cross has provided: financial
assistance to 1.2 million families, 3.42 million overnight stays in roughly, 1, 100 shelters (26,000
people were sheltered in the Super Dome) and has provided 27.4 million hot meals and 25.2
million snacks (American 33). The Red Cross is not the only government based organization that
is focused on helping and rebuilding the Deep South. The Department of Homeland Security has
dramatically increased its natural disaster emergency supplies since Hurricane Katrina. The
Department of Homeland Security now has four times the amount of Emergency Ice and Meals,
and two and a half times the amount of disaster employees, before Hurricane Katrina hit, there
were a total of 4,000 employees, now there are 8,000 employees, that equates to a 100 percent
increase (Hurricane Preparedness 2). The Department of Homeland Security also deployed a
vast number of National Guards, Army personnel and Coast Guard to the hurricane region (45).
There are roughly 21,000 Nation Guards in the hurricane region, one third of them will be
charged with the task of keeping the peace, and law enforcement. The government is using Navy
ships to help transport food and supplies, the Army and Air Force are providing helicopters for
search and rescue, and as many as eight, swift water rescue teams were deployed to help rescue
stranded residents from their flooded homes (Pentagon 23). The Department of Homeland
Security has also deployed 25 Coast Guard urban search and rescue teams, amounting to about
1,000 personnel. The Coast Guard has rescued nearly 2,000 people (Remarks 233).
Bean 4
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is another government
organization, but the FEMA is mainly focused on the long-term goals of a devastated region.
Some of the goals for New Orleans are: rebuilding the region’s water management system to
world class standards, rebuilding private/public hospitals, supporting businesses in the region
through tax relief, repairing important public infrastructures such as roads, bridges, public
buildings and improving and rebuilding the educational system. The United States Government
launched a monumental hurricane relief task force, all focused on providing the basic necessities
of life: food, water, and shelter, and to saving as many lives as physically possible.
The American government is not only the organization that is trying to help the
hurricane-hit region; there are also hundreds of private organizations that are trying to help the
region.
Habitat for Humanity International is an international, ecumenical Christian, nonGovernmental, non-profit organization devoted to building simple, decent and
affordable housing. Homes are built using volunteer labor and are sold at no
profit, with no interest charged on mortgage. The organization was founded in
1976 in Americus, Georgia by Millard and Linda Fuller (Habitat 1).
The Habitat for Humanity international hurricane rebuilding program, Operation Home Delivery,
is focused on getting the local affiliates in the hurricane hit regions back on their feet. “The
program pre-builds housing components in nearby , less-affected locations, such as Jackson,
Mississippi, allowing much of the construction to be accomplished while basic infrastructure is
being restored” (Habitat 3). Operation Home Delivery began delivering houses two months after
Hurricane Katrina landed (334).
Bean 5
The Salvation Army is another private, non-profit organization that helped in bringing aid
to the Katrina survivors. Like the other organizations, the Salvation Army began providing
immediate relief to the hurricane survivors, the Salvation Army was supported by 365 million
dollars in donations, and 68 million dollars went to the displaced evacuees in the surrounding
states. The Salvation Army is also coordinating a “long-term clean-up,” providing financial help
and spiritual and emotional care to all Hurricane Katrina survivors in need (Salvation 10). Not
all private organizations are big non-profit organizations, there are also many individuals who
give money right out of their own pocket. Both the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints
have donated over a million dollars to the hurricane relief effort. The Atlanta Falcons are also
donating football equipment to several high schools in the region, the Atlanta Falcons
quarterback, Michael Vick, has donated 4,000 pairs of Nike football cleats on his behalf (Atlanta
13).
Many famous actors, and musicians have also donated to the Hurricane relief. Singer and
songwriter Jon Bon Jovi donated one million dollars to Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network, the
Angel Network has also raised 11 million dollars, and has built houses for the hurricane evacuees
in five states (Building 10). Other musicians such as: Harry Connick Jr., Tim McGraw, Faith
Hill and Kanye West, appeared in the NBC- sponsored telethon concert, A Concert for
Hurricane Relief . Harry Connick Jr. also came up with an idea for a Musicians Village, where
Hurricane Katrina evacuees, who are also aspiring musicians, could find decent and affordable
housing (Harry 33). Harry Connick Jr. is working with Habitat for Humanity in trying to restore
New Orleans’ musical heritage and bring relief to aspiring musicians in the hurricane region
(Harry 12).
Bean 6
Hurricane Katrina was the costliest disaster in American history, the amount of damage
was estimated to be 81.2 billion dollars, and both government and private organizations
answered the call to provide the basic necessities of life to the hurricane evacuees (Remarks 22).
It is clear that the hurricane-hit region needed a vast amount of relief, and if only one of these
organizations provided relief, it would not have sufficed the need. Hypothetically, if only one of
these organizations were able to provide relief, the most effective relief was demonstrated by the
private organizations. In comparison, it appears that private organizations have demonstrated the
quickest response for Hurricane Katrina relief. The private organizations have numerous relief
groups focused on many different needs for the disaster survivors. The private organization
system would be much less complicated than the government system. The different private
organizations provide different types of relief and they are quicker to respond. The
governmental system would require many different branches and organizations, and every single
idea, or use of money, would need to be processed through the major organization, such as the
Department of Homeland Security (Disaster 33). The private organizations would provide a
more efficient and much more thorough disaster relief system.
On August 29th, 2005 the third strongest hurricane to ever hit American soil devastated
the Deep South. Hurricane Katrina ripped apart the Super Dome, flooded New Orleans,
destroyed: forests, coastlines, roads, bridges, levees and was the cause of roughly 1,800 deaths.
It has been nearly two years since Hurricane Katrina landed, and life in the south has been slow
to repair. Electricity has been restored, bridges and roads were repaired, evacuees are moving
back into houses, and the New Orleans Saints are once again playing in the Super Dome. The
recreation of this devastated region was led by government and private organizations seeking to
Bean 7
restore order and normal life in the hurricane- hit region (199). Government organizations such
as the American Red Cross, who opened the Super Dome and sheltered 26,000 people, the
Department of Homeland Security, who brought the Coast Guard to rescue roughly 2,000
Hurricane Katrina survivors, and private organizations, such as: Habitat for Humanity,
rebuilding the South one house at a time, the Salvation Army, providing food, water and shelter
for so many Hurricane Katrina survivors, and many actors and musicians who played in charity
concerts, and donated so much money in support of the Hurricane Katrina relief fund (Remarks
24). Without bother of these types of organizations, the hurricane region would still be in
disarray, but because they were able to work side by side, millions of people are once again,
restoring life in the Deep South.
Bean 8
Works Cited
“About the Office of the Federal Coordinator for the Gulf Coast Rebuilding.” Homeland
Security. Web. 23 January 2007.
“Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints Team Up in the Community.” Atlanta Falcons
Web. 2 February 2007.
“American Red Cross Response to Hurricane Katrina & Rita.” American Red Cross.
Web. 15 February 2007.
“Building Oprah Katrina Homes.” Oprah.com Web.15 February 2007.
“Disaster Response.” American Red Cross Web. 6 January 2007.
“Habitat for Humanity International.” Web. 23 January 2012.
“Harry Connick.” Web. 3 February 2012.
“Hurricane Katrina.” Web. 14 January 2012.
“Hurricane Preparedness.” The White House. Web. 23 January 2012.
“Hurricane Relief Program.” American Red Cross. Web. 14 January 2012.
“National Hurricane Program.” FEMA. 2 December 2008 Web. 23 January 2012.
“Pentagon Expands Rescue, Relief Operation.” MSN NBC. Web. 23 January 2012.
“Remarks on the Relief Efforts for Hurricane Katrina.” Look Smart. Web. 22 January 2012.
“The Salvation Army’s National Response to Hurricane Katrina.” The Salvation Army. 15
February 2007. Web. 2 February 2012.