Following the devastation which was brought about by the Hurricane Katrina and the consequent unsteady response that it was accorded by different agencies, the roles of the federal government come up as extremely pivotal in averting national crises such as the latter and even the September 11th attacks. It is in this light that the following article will present a discussion on the benefits of federalism and how it might constrain federal outreach, as well as, too much power. This also comes up in light of the public’s dissatisfaction with the manner in which the government responded to the Hurricane Katrina and other disasters.
In times of national crises, the federal government harbors an immense role in maintaining peace, deterring violence and protecting the loss of property using its massive military resources and police presence. Through this enforcement of the rule of order upon the occurrence of a calamity, the federal government notably establishes firm foundations of expectations that the community can use in making efficient choices existing in the alternatives being faced. This is the case even when the existing alternatives are deemed undesirable or even limiting. This maintenance of order also enables the society to discern whether to reestablish their lives or leave the areas of the disasters. ("Lesson 3: When Disaster Strikes, What Can Government Do?” 2016)
After the occurrence of a calamity, the federal government also has a role to play in the stabilization of the affected area and attracting people back to it. It can achieve this by establishing social institutions such as schools, churches and hospitals which are important in attracting people and also businesses back to the calamity-damaged societies. This basically assists in bringing back the lives of the community back to normalcy. The federal government also has a role to play in the provision of public goods which basically forms a community’s infrastructure. Notably, when disasters such as the hurricane Katrina occurred, the public goods encompassed activities, e.g. carryout search and rescue operations.
The massive roles played by the federal government make the benefits of federalism eminent in times of disasters. In fact, the concept has overtime been regarded as a guiding principle for the allocation of responsibilities for purposes of meeting requirements of the affected community after the occurrence of disasters. Federalism best facilitates the establishment of an efficient response to disasters by meeting available responsibilities and creating a system that efficiently promotes a collaborative effort. It thus comes out as the most preferred approach for responding to catastrophes for countries such as America because of their large populations, broad geographical areas, different regional conditions, and even traditions.
Federalism also recognizes the significant roles which the non-governmental organizations and the private sectors play in the prevention, preparation, recovery and response from the major disasters, as well as, other emergencies in the country. This means that federalism hugely contributes to the coordination of these sectors for ensuring efficient planning, training, and equipment handling for the promotion of partnerships that generally address the capabilities of the incident management. This puts an ingrained emphasis of federalism as being pivotal in providing the much-needed coordination of national activities.
Worth noting is that the system has the possibility of constraining too much federal powers by enabling grass root responses in the country. It achieves this by building federal plugs which permit the government to undercut different responses which otherwise have often proved effective. In conclusion, the above article has presented a discussion concerning the PBS Frontline documentary i.e. the Storm. It has enumerated the roles of the federal government in times of calamities, benefits of federalism and even the manners in which the system might constrain too much federal powers. This has been in light of the hurricane Katrina that culminated in massive destruction and loses in the country.
Reference
Lesson 3: When Disaster Strikes, What Can Government Do? (2016). Fte.org. Retrieved 17 June 2016, from http://www.fte.org/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/disasterslessons/lesson-3-when-disaster-strikes-what-can-government-do/
