Unit 4

by

Review of Hurricane Katrina

This assignment continues our review of Hurricane Katrina. Based upon the 4 key elements in an emergency response to a specific incident, write a 3- to 5-page paper, critiquing the response of each responder during Katrina. Highlight the mistakes each responder made, and what you would do today to ensure those problems would not reoccur.

The 4 key elements to an emergency response include:

  1. resources from state and federal agencies
  2. first responders
  3. secondary emergency services
  4. private sector resources

In addition to fulfilling the specifics of the assignment, a successful paper must also meet the following criteria:             

  • Include a cover page and references page in 10- to 12-point font (Arial, Courier, and Times New Roman are acceptable).
  • Viewpoint and purpose should be clearly established and sustained.
  • Assignment should follow the conventions of Standard English (correct grammar, punctuation, etc.).
  • Writing should be well ordered, logical and unified, as well as original and insightful.
  • Your work should display superior content, organization, style, and mechanics.
  • Appropriate citation style should be followed.

You should also make sure to:

  • Include a title page with full name, class name, section number, and date.
  • Include an introductory and concluding paragraph and demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in Standard English.
  • Use examples to support your discussion.
  • List all sources on a separate reference page at the end of your paper and cite within the body of your paper using APA format and citation style. For more information on APA guidelines, visit Academic Tools. 

Directions for Submitting Your Assignment

Compose your assignment and save it in the following format: Course#_LastnameFirstname Unit # Assignment (example: HM500_SmithJohn Unit 4 Assignment). Submit your assignment to the appropriate Dropbox by the end of the Unit.

In your paper, evaluate the effectiveness of the 4 key elements in the emergency response to Katrina, and recommend alternative actions that may have resulted in a different outcome, either positively or negatively, based upon these response principles.

Resources

For information on the Katrina responders, review the Executive Summary and Investigation Overview (pp. 126) in the Katrina report, and conduct research on the internet.

Government Printing Office. (n.d.). . http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/pagedetails.action?browsePath=109/HRPT/%5B300%3B399%5D&granuleId=CRPT-109hrpt377&packageId=CRPT-109hrpt377

Note: This assignment will require outside research. Use at least two credible sources beyond the text material, and discuss how you evaluated the credibility of the resources used. You may consult the Purdue Global Library, the internet, the textbook, course material, and any other outside resources in supporting your task.