Over the last few weeks, leaders from across the nation have faced many crisis situations including historic wildfires, hurricanes and flooding. As Hurricane Irene set her sights on the East Coast, I reflected upon the government's response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Would Hurricane Irene release her wrath upon a still recovering New York City, most specifically Manhattan? Had the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) learned from the disaster experienced with Hurricane Katrina?
I recalled an earlier blog post showcasing an Washington Post's On Leadership interview with Craig Fugate, FEMA Director, regarding lessons learned from the Hurricane Katrina response. View for yourself whether Fugate responded to Hurricane Irene as he said he would after Hurricane Katrina.
I was intrigued by some of the recent public responses to Hurricane Irene. After the Hurricane Katrina disaster, I was amazed to hear the assertions that the government's response to Hurricane Irene was excessive, namely those inconvenience by evacuations in the New York City area. Just as with Hurricane Katrina, the full extent of the disaster was felt long after the hurricane passed. Historic flooding has been a life-changing event for many. Would those inconvenienced had the same response if New York City had taken a direct hit? Did what became a practice drill prepare those residents for a future event or will complacency reign?
As fire leaders, we must look at every incident as an unsual event and plan accordingly. There is no place for complacency in our decision making.
Additional reading:
FEMA Ready to Lead Through the Storm?, Jena McGregor, On Leadership, August 26, 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment
********
The WFLDP seeks to build and support an online community in which wildland fire professionals can interact.
We invite respectful discussion; however, the realities of online culture is such that anonymous posts and posts from children under the age of 13 are not accepted.
All comments are monitored by our editorial staff for appropriateness in meeting the mission of the WFLDP prior to posting to the blog. We do not discriminate against any views, but we reserve the right not to post comments.
Individuals posting comments are fully responsible for everything that they submit.
Comments submitted after hours and on holidays/weekends will be reviewed as early as possible the next business day.
Our complete blog policy can be found at http://www.fireleadership.gov/committee/reports/Blog_Policy_Jan2010.pdf.
A yellow box will appear after you submit your comment notifying you that your comment will be reviewed.