An Analysis of the Hurricane Catrina Relief Effort Essay

In a state of national emergency, the United States government is expected to be efficient and organized. When Hurricane Katrina struck on August 25th, 2005, the United States government was not readily prepared for such an immense disaster. The mismanagement of relief efforts by the U.S. government led to a lack of adequate assistance to U.S. victims along with a prolonged restoration period for those in need. Had the government accepted more foreign aid and further prepared for the storm, hurricane Katrina may not have proved such a disaster in our nation’s history. This essay will explain how foreign aid was integrated into the relief effort. Additionally, this essay will explore the government’s refusal of aid from various countries†¦show more content†¦Unfortunately, in many instances this was not enough, seeing as the final death toll from the storm came to an estimated 1800 people (Kenny, 2013). As the G.A.O. stated, â€Å"it exacted terrible human cost s with the loss of significant number of lives and resulted in billions of dollars in property damage†(GAO 2006). Faster aid and relief to the victims of Katrina was a possibility that did not occur due to the lack of preparation and acceptance of aid by the United States government. Government Action In a time of crisis, the government response to the situation at hand was poor and inefficient. There were numerous flaws and errors in the relief plan proposed to the government which in turn led to delayed relief to victims in need. The immediate response phase after Katrina lasted roughly 12 days. During this time, â€Å"victims were evacuated, rescued, sheltered, and received medical care from first responders, charities and other non-governmental organizations, and private citizens†(McNeill, 2011). The fact that the U.S. government organizations were not the first responders to the disaster is shameful for our country. The majority of the immediate relief occurred thanks to the aid of private organizations such as the Red Cross along with the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund (McNeill, 2011). The Bush administration and other government figures acted incredibly slowly and were unable to give the