News Release

Katrina exposed emergency response weakness

Article in The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SAGE

The disastrous response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Katrina exposed the weakness of existing emergency management and response policies on all political levels – local, state, and federal. William L. Waugh Jr. uncovers the troublesome roots of concern in a piece he edited for the March 2006 volume of SAGE Publications' The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.

The volume, titled, Shelter from the Storm: Repairing the National Emergency Management System after Hurricane Katrina, explores how poor planning, poor decision-making, and poor communication before, during, and after Katrina betrayed public confidence in the ability of DHS, FEMA, and other public officials to effectively organize and manage emergency response.

Waugh lays the blame on public officials at all levels and recommends changes that will lead to a functioning emergency management system. Only by shedding light on the underlying problems of current policy and practices can the lessons from Katrina truly be learned and steps taken to fix the system.

###

To access this volume preface, please go to http://ann.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/604/1/6.

The American Academy of Political and Social Science (www.aapss.org) was created in 1889 to promote the progress of the social sciences. It did so by creating a forum in which research on contemporary political, economic, and social issues could help inform public policy as well as enlighten the intellectually curious. The Annals, the Academy's bimonthly journal, and the Academy's annual meetings, symposia, and special publications have served as vehicles through which its objectives have been achieved for more than 110 years.

SAGE Publications (www.sagepublications.com) is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for scholarly, educational and professional marketing. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students. SAGE Publications, a privately owned corporation, has principal offices in Thousand Oaks, California; London, United Kingdom; and New Delhi, India.


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.