ABSTRACT
CONTENTS Governmental Institutions....................................................................... 172 Institutions under Similar Circumstances ................................................ 173 Contracting Methods in Place to Ensure Rapid Deployment.................. 173 Why Was FEMA Ill-Prepared to Respond to Hurricane Katrina? ........... 174 The Middle Range Theory Approach...................................................... 175 Preferred Providers .................................................................................. 175 Application of Structuralism Theory to Emergency Preparedness............ 176 Review of Leadership Theory .................................................................. 177
Decision Lapses.............................................................................. 177 Creating the Organization That Works in the Environmental
Conditions................................................................................. 178 Prospect Theory ............................................................................. 179 March’s Decision-Making Observations ......................................... 179
Garbage-Can Decision Processes in Emergency Situations ............. 180 Consider the Military Model.......................................................... 180
Rational Models ...................................................................................... 181 Decision Traps ............................................................................... 181
Summary................................................................................................. 182 Bibliography............................................................................................ 182 Internet References.................................................................................. 184
Acts of God have been occurring since the beginning of time. Since the development of modern nation states, there is the expectation on the part of the citizens that the government will care for the vulnerable and the victims, either through planning and preparation or remedies after the fact. The example of the New Orleans Category Four hurricane Katrina catastrophe illustrates what can happen with poor planning, preparation, and lack of institutional support to respond in a timely fashion.
