Essays on Chertoff

Hurricane Katrina is one of the worst disasters ever to hit the Americas. Though the country is endowed with much resources and great technological devices, yet it appeared as if the disaster got the nation by surprise. The response units seemed uncoordinated (Roth and Levine Para 2) while the rescue units took too long to respond to the disaster. Using the critical thinking approach, I could have taken a different approach to the disaster. This would be informed by the application of the analysis, assessment, and reconstruction of the problem (Critical Thinking Organization Para 2). Below is a description of the ...

Question one: Explosives

The Oklahoma City bombing occurred at nine o’clock during the day in April 1995. It saw the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building. Two critical safety steps that were essential in the management of the disaster entailed the establishment of a safety perimeter that would limit the extent to which the first respondents could reach and the immediate withdrawal of the trapped bodies from the danger zones. The former essentially contributes in accountability and management of the respondents. It should be noted that the respondents’ desire to save anybody in the disaster must never escalate to levels that ...

On September 13, 2007 the United Nations (UN) embraced an international instrument entitled the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Consisting of 46 articles, this document was created to protect and promote the rights of the worlds’ indigenous populations that were not defended in other human rights legislation (University of British Columbia, indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca). James Anaya, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, claims this document is unparalleled in its scope and breadth. Therefore, this paper will discuss the history and reasoning behind the declaration’s creation, why it was necessary to adopt ...

Who was responsible for the organizational failures surrounding the response to Hurricane Katrina?

Whether Hurricane Katrina was a planned failure or a result of failing to plan has remained a matter of debate among the social and political circles. However, most scholars and researchers that focused keenly on the causes of the disaster say that the poor response to the disaster that hit the southern state of Louisiana was an organizational blunder. A mistake deeply rooted in the wrong priorities set by the government. According to Johnson et al (2008), the government, both national and local was responsible for the organizational failures surrounding the response to Hurricane Katrina. Johnson et al (2008) explain how the ...

Introduction

Critical infrastructure is the main support system of the nation’s national and economic security. It includes national backbone such as power plants, electric infrastructures, water resources, transport system, financial structures, chemical facilities, emergency services, and cyber networks so as to make the people safer and to provide them with services and facilities such as highways, stadiums, shopping malls, and federal buildings (Hatton, 2013). These infrastructures have been smoothly integrated by ICT to make the systems more resilient, reliable and effective (Hatton, 2013). Hence, cyber infrastructures are also synonymous with advanced telecommunications, industrial control systems and critical infrastructure assets ( ...

PRINCIPLES OF FIRE BEHAVIOR

Emergency response and preparedness have invited all walks of people to be aware and participate in cases of emergency. Initially most respondents involved the police force and firefighters or those they authorized and appointed to participate. As a project coordinator in the building department operating in tandem with the fire department, my experience here became my main source in understanding how emergency models are used. Even more so than just contacting essential services, keeping in mind the roles of various agencies and promptly reporting to them in detail the type of emergency, determined the timely effort in which an incident ...

Bioterrorism involves intentional dissemination of natural or manmade bio-product with intentions to harm; mostly mankind. This kind of terrorism is one of the most severe as its effects can be felt down the generations. In his article “Confronting Biological Threats to the Homeland”, Chertoff cites some steps that could be vital in tackling the tragic attack. One of the steps and indeed the first step in countering bioterrorism is planning. As Chertoff writes, “Planning must involve an understanding of the full dimensions of a public health emergency—natural or manmade”, (2008). This calls for input of enough funds by ...