Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the work done by the New Orleans fire department, the challenges they have faced, how they have helped the citizens to take emergency precautions and guidelines for dealing with hurricane and the steps they took along with the problems they have faced.
Introduction
The effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans was catastrophic. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history. By August 30, 2005, one day after the Category 4 storm made landfall, 80 percent of the city of New Orleans was flooded, with some parts of the city under 20 feet (6 m) of water. The flood was caused by several levee breaches due to a combination of a powerful storm surge, strong winds and excess water in the bodies of water surrounding the city. The event continues to have major implications for a large segment of the population as well as for the economy of and politics in the entire United States. (Long, 2005)
Initial Challenges
State emergency managers and congressional investigators say the overwhelming focus for grants is now on fighting terrorism. More money goes to local police and fire departments for that mission than responding to and recover from disasters. Officials from Shelby County, Ala., for instance, last year said they could get federal money for chemical suits. But they were unable to get money for an emergency operations center that could link computers, phones and televisions to respond to tornadoes. Between 1957 and 2003, the county had 20 tornadoes that it said killed 11 people and caused more than $32 million in damages. (Fischetti, 2001)
Meanwhile, morale at FEMA has dropped since Homeland Security subsumed it. Several key jobs are unfilled and its executives are overtaxed. Its acting chief operating officer in Washington, for instance, is also the director of FEMA's Atlanta region; another acting director is holding his seat there.........
