IndexIntroductionConclusionReferencesIntroductionA disaster is defined as an event that brings great damage, loss, or destruction. An emergency is an unexpected combination of circumstances or an urgent need for assistance; like a multi-vehicle accident on I-4. A disaster typically affects a large number of people; while an emergency usually affects only a local community. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Communication is a critical part of emergency management and yet an inherent struggle during disasters; however, a communication breakdown typically does not occur during an emergency. Unfortunately, when a catastrophic storm occurs there are blackouts of radio channels, towers are down and sometimes information is not broadcast to the public and they simply don't know where to find it. Almost all major disasters have had communication problems; Hurricane Katrina seemed to have the most problems, but Hurricane Sandy was no exception. The main issue during Sandy was communication with first responders and surrounding counties. Interoperability was a big issue that led FEMA to improve the GIS system. During Sandy, the importance of social media was realized; played an important role in providing crucial information to residents. (Bultam, 2013) Hurricane Sandy can't even compare to the problems that occurred during Hurricane Katrina. Since Shamealle, Hurricane Katrina has been the topic of our group. I guess being the latest contributor won't break our trend. It reflects this week's topics in so many ways; especially when it comes to leadership performance in minimizing disasters and weak leadership making things worse and exacerbating the damage. “On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. The storm had been building in the Caribbean for several days, and residents and city authorities were all well aware of it. Two days before it hit, Louisiana's governor recommended evacuating residents. The day before the accident, the city's mayor, Ray Nagin, issued a mandatory evacuation order. Most of the city's population escaped, almost all by car, but about 10,000 people out of an estimated 455,000 remained trapped (Levy, 2017).”The social aspect of disaster planning was not implemented. No one considered or communicated that most people living in the lower parts of the city were poor and did not own cars. Those who owned cars had no gas because they lived paycheck to paycheck or relied on public assistance, which wouldn't be gone for a couple of days. “The city's vulnerability has been known for years. “The Mississippi River has had a long history of flooding and has even changed its course after major floods from time to time. In 1927, a catastrophic flood inundated 23,000 square miles and led Congress to pass the Flood Control Act of 1928. The Army Corps of Engineers then embarked on a massive levee-building program that was highly successful in preventing subsequent floods. floods (Levy, 2017). “The drainage and then development of the city's back marshes over the last century has caused about half of New Orleans to sink below sea level. The levee system has also prevented the Mississippi from flooding and, in turn, nourish the surrounding coastal wetlands that act as a storm buffer here (The Guardian, 2015).” "BetweenBetween 1932 and 2010, about 1,900 square miles of such land disappeared from southeast Louisiana, according to the U.S. Geological Survey — a 25 percent decrease in aggregate area. Louisianans, who tend to quantify the disappearance in terms of their favorite sport, estimate the rate at about a football field every hour (The Guardian, 2015). control and situational awareness. Communications were limited at all levels due to infrastructure problems, insufficient interoperability and lack of equipment. This lack of communication has kept the media confused about isolated incidents and put them in the position of reporting misinformation. Without access to critical communications resources, the government and aid organizations were unable to dispute media reports or defend their efforts. They did not have good intelligence information (Meeds, 2006). This lack of communication led to a slow response, which then led to more misinformation and a chaotic, prolonged response. The lack of fully operational communications and intelligence has increased death, destruction and human suffering (Meeds, 2006). New Orleans did not have enough shelters or buses to assist the evacuees. Another major issue was that the National Guard was called in after the incident to help with search and rescue operations. billion (£9 billion) by the US Congress. The new system takes a “military approach,” the Army explained recently, as “the perimeter has been expanded and is now more heavily defended.” The levees have been strengthened to limit the possibility of being swept away if hit by a particularly strong storm surge – a crucial improvement after Katrina. Construction of an improved drainage system, initially authorized in 1996, continues (The Guardian, 2015).” “A state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority plan calls for $50 billion in investments over the next 50 years to halt the loss of wetlands and restore those already swallowed by the Gulf. The authority's most recent framework, published in 2012, projects that it can halt land loss in 20 years and build or sustain up to 800 square miles of wetlands and barrier islands, another major defense, in the next 50 ( The Guardian, 2015 ).”“One method of building new land, for which the agency is proposing $20 billion, is to dredge the bed of the Mississippi River and then pump the material into areas at risk of being submerged. “Wetland projects will build out most of their land as soon as the project is built,” the CPRA states, making them important options for protecting areas “in desperate need” (The Guardian, 2015).” The most effective route is to mimic the natural process by which the Mississippi created the land over the past 7,000 years. “Sediment diversion” involves controlled flooding that allows the river to deposit silt into surrounding areas. The state would essentially cut through natural levees and replace their earthen material with gates to allow some water to pass through. “Canal realignment” would go a step further, rerouting the river massively. The CPRA proposal argues that “sustainable restoration of our coastline without sediment diversions is not possible.” But there's a big problem. “Nowhere has a river sediment diversion been built,” says Graham (The Guardian, 2015).” “In the meantime, we will continue with further short-term measures. As of July, the state had about $520 million in wetland restoration projects underway, says Graham, the