Once again, tragedy along the gulf coast in general and Louisiana in particular captivate the news. Whether it was an accident caused by fate or folly of man, the explosion on the floating oil drilling platform that resulted in a massive oil spill has changed that place forever. Right wing news organizations criticize the Obama Administration for not acting more decisively at an earlier point in the time-line.
Hurricane Katrina devastated gulf coast communities from western Florida to upper Texas; Louisiana and New Orleans in particular. Left wing news organizations sustained a prolonged attack on the Bush Administration for not acting more decisively at an earlier point in the time-line.
Citizens across our nation grieve for the losses sustained by our neighbors in that region for a second time in only a few short years.
While we grieve on the one hand, criticism has been levied against the federal government for failing to act proactively in a timely manner in both of these emergencies which begs the question “Is the federal government the agency of first resort or last resort in the case of disaster?” What protocol should we employ to determine when federal assistance is needed as opposed to required?
Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and wild fires all are capable of wiping out a community or even a state. We are learning that man-made disasters can be every bit as damaging. In either case, what triggers a federal response to such a disaster? Does the federal government do joint planning with every state to determine in advance a plan of action for all perils or does the planning fall to the states?
It has become commonplace to see elected officials flying over an area devastated by a disaster in helicopters then hear that the area had been declared a “federal disaster” which triggers financial assistance during a recover, but what has to happen before the federal government’s role changes to proactively managing a disaster on the ground?
During Katrina we learned that FEMA was waiting for Louisiana to ask for assistance. Is a request for assistance part of the protocol? Should FEMA and the federal government make an assessment on their own and act unilaterally or wait to be invited?
Is there any such thing as a routine “oil rig” fire? When any oil rig explodes and burns, someone does an assessment at some level to determine the risk factors. Was that done in this case and who did follow-up? When did authorities decide this was an emergency of national significance?
Is there a process Americans can use to guide us when a disaster happens in knowing when the government will only watch and when they might mobilize and actually do something to help?
Flooding is a peril that we often see in the news and New Orleans got hit hard with Katrina, but I don’t recall the role the government played in helping all the other victims in all the other flood events that happened around the country that year or for that matter in any year.
Where are the left wing and right wing news organizations when the federal government chooses not to take an active part in a disaster? When do they decide the federal government has not acted in a timely, decisive and proactive manner?
The risk associated with living in a flood plain is periodic flooding; with living along an ocean beach is the possibility of hurricanes; with living in the mid-west is the possibility of tornadoes. Some of us live with the risk of volcanoes, earthquakes and wild fires as well. What is the federal government’s role in protecting us from those perils and saving us from them after the fact? What role should the government play in saving you if we all agree that choosing to live in a hazard zone might be perilous?
We cannot expect the federal government to swoop in to save our butts from all perils. If we live where it floods we do so at our own risk. If we opt to invest in protection from floods we need to do so at our own expense. The federal government is not responsible for paying for our own poor judgment.
We need to have federal government policies that clarify the role the federal government will play in the case of major disasters.
Press coverage should not dictate whether the government steps in or not.
No Loss for Words
When is a Disaster a Federal Disaster?
by Steve DanaOnce again, tragedy along the gulf coast in general and Louisiana in particular captivate the news. Whether it was an accident caused by fate or folly of man, the explosion on the floating oil drilling platform that resulted in a massive oil spill has changed that place forever. Right wing news organizations criticize the Obama Administration for not acting more decisively at an earlier point in the time-line.
Hurricane Katrina devastated gulf coast communities from western Florida to upper Texas; Louisiana and New Orleans in particular. Left wing news organizations sustained a prolonged attack on the Bush Administration for not acting more decisively at an earlier point in the time-line.
Citizens across our nation grieve for the losses sustained by our neighbors in that region for a second time in only a few short years.
While we grieve on the one hand, criticism has been levied against the federal government for failing to act proactively in a timely manner in both of these emergencies which begs the question “Is the federal government the agency of first resort or last resort in the case of disaster?” What protocol should we employ to determine when federal assistance is needed as opposed to required?
Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and wild fires all are capable of wiping out a community or even a state. We are learning that man-made disasters can be every bit as damaging. In either case, what triggers a federal response to such a disaster? Does the federal government do joint planning with every state to determine in advance a plan of action for all perils or does the planning fall to the states?
It has become commonplace to see elected officials flying over an area devastated by a disaster in helicopters then hear that the area had been declared a “federal disaster” which triggers financial assistance during a recover, but what has to happen before the federal government’s role changes to proactively managing a disaster on the ground?
During Katrina we learned that FEMA was waiting for Louisiana to ask for assistance. Is a request for assistance part of the protocol? Should FEMA and the federal government make an assessment on their own and act unilaterally or wait to be invited?
Is there any such thing as a routine “oil rig” fire? When any oil rig explodes and burns, someone does an assessment at some level to determine the risk factors. Was that done in this case and who did follow-up? When did authorities decide this was an emergency of national significance?
Is there a process Americans can use to guide us when a disaster happens in knowing when the government will only watch and when they might mobilize and actually do something to help?
Flooding is a peril that we often see in the news and New Orleans got hit hard with Katrina, but I don’t recall the role the government played in helping all the other victims in all the other flood events that happened around the country that year or for that matter in any year.
Where are the left wing and right wing news organizations when the federal government chooses not to take an active part in a disaster? When do they decide the federal government has not acted in a timely, decisive and proactive manner?
The risk associated with living in a flood plain is periodic flooding; with living along an ocean beach is the possibility of hurricanes; with living in the mid-west is the possibility of tornadoes. Some of us live with the risk of volcanoes, earthquakes and wild fires as well. What is the federal government’s role in protecting us from those perils and saving us from them after the fact? What role should the government play in saving you if we all agree that choosing to live in a hazard zone might be perilous?
We cannot expect the federal government to swoop in to save our butts from all perils. If we live where it floods we do so at our own risk. If we opt to invest in protection from floods we need to do so at our own expense. The federal government is not responsible for paying for our own poor judgment.
We need to have federal government policies that clarify the role the federal government will play in the case of major disasters.
Press coverage should not dictate whether the government steps in or not.
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