Lesson 09: Case Study: Hurricane Katrina

Summary and Final Tasks

This lesson was a case study of Hurricane Katrina and it concludes our three lesson section on domestic disaster preparedness. In this section of the course we examined the fundamentals of emergency management including the National Response Plan, National Incident Management System, and Incident Command System. We also examined the very important and often ignored issue of social justice in disaster preparedness and response, as well as examining the contribution of GIS&T to emergency management. This final case study of Hurricane Katrina allowed you to:

  • Discuss and critique the use of intelligence and especially geospatial intelligence in the planning for, and response to Hurricane Katrina.
     
  • Synthesize the ideas of previous lessons to critique the role of intelligence and especially geo-spatial intelligence in relation to Hurricane Katrina.
     
  • Discuss the social justice implications for geospatial intelligence applications in Hurricane Katrina.
     
  • Speculate on future applications of geospatial intelligence for disaster management.

Deliverable: Lesson 09 - GRADED Discussion Forum (#3)

Return to the Lesson 09  folder in ANGEL. Look for the Lesson 09 - GRADED Discussion Forum (#3) where you will find the three required questions and an optional question for this assignment. The minimum requirement is that each of you post one primary response to each of my questions and comment on at least three of your classmate's posts.
 
NOTE: Please post your primary response to the questions by Friday evening to allow time for everyone to post comments by Sunday night.

Looking Ahead

The next section of the course expands our focus from domestic disaster preparedness and response to international humanitarian aid and disaster relief work with a case study focused on the Asian Tsunami. The next lesson entitled "International Relief Work 1" will examine:
  • The range of challenges facing international relief agencies [governmental, inter-governmental (IGO), and non-governmental (NGO)].
     
  • The universe of international relief organizations, the role of the major agencies/organizations, and the capabilities and limitations of different types of organizations.
     
  • The concept of a "Complex Emergency."
     
  • The concept of creating and maintaining "Humanitarian Space" in a complex emergency.
     
  • The capabilities and limitations of geospatial intelligence in support of international relief efforts in complex emergencies.

We will look at selected readings and you will validate your knowledge with the last online quiz.

But first, we have Discussion Forum 3 to complete.