Do you think the USA National Guard and Army should have a natural disaster strategy?

Question

Or should it be every State for itself when something happens out of the ordinary?

When looking at New Orleans, Denver, and parts of Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas...

Should the Government be responsible to recover and rescue when a natural disaster hits? Or should this be preplanned by each State?

SEMA is never heard of but FEMA is...

What is the most effective route when natural disasters hit?
What should each State not take for granted until a disaster hits?
How to be better preparred if FEMA and SEMA do not show up?

Answer 1

you'd think we could depend on the federal government to do SOMETHING when disaster hits... hopefully they've shaped up their acts since 2005 (by all accounts, they're doing a creditable job in the aftermath of friday's tornadoes in florida.)

each part of the country has its own unique challenges. disaster can truly hit anywhere, whether manmade or natural. insurance companies are already raising rates for homeowners living along the outer banks of north carolina, in response to expected higher sea levels due to global warming. perhaps in 50 years or less that area will be uninhabitable. and as they said in new orleans, the question might become: why do people choose to live there?

if something on a scale too big for a state to handle (let's say katrina, or the impending BIG ONE due to hit the san andreas fault) i should think it's the federal government's duty to assign all (and i DO mean all) available resources to the security of the homeland. even in a state as populous as california, i doubt they have the manpower to handle the disastrous results of an earthquake in san francisco even as big as the 1989 one.

and even though california troops might be better equipped to handle much of the load in that scenario (being familiar with the infrastructure, politics, and culture of their homeland) i believe they'd welcome aid from any of the other states, even canada or japan. (let's not forget that the cubans offered to send aid in 2005 after hurricane disasters, and were rebuffed by our federal government.) california already requires help from other states (rightly so!) to fight wildfires that occur each year from the santa ana winds). firefighters from all across the country went to northern minnesota in 2000 to battle fierce blazes there after a mammoth windstorm and lightning played havoc with a large section of forest. one of the benefits of living in a country like the us is that it's large enough to be able to 'pitch in' when needed, and knowing that we may need our brothers someday makes us all feel a bit more secure in our homeland, doesn't it?

it should be a state and federal joint responsibility, with the state providing the local expertise and the management skills, and the feds providing the muscle to back it up.

Answer 2

Not necessarily the National Guard or Army, but the federal government should have a disaster plan that includes utilizing active duty and reserve military. The states should also have a disaster plan that utilizes that states national guard. Those plans need to encompass every branch of the military and every possible scenario. Take Katrina for instance. The LA national guard was ready to rush in and provide assistance. Unfortunately, almost every land route into New Orleans was cut off completely, leaving it accessible only by air and sea. The Navy would have been the most logical choice for rescue operations in that situation. We have ships that can carry helicopters and small boats that could have been used to rescue people from the flooded city. In addition the larger ships such as the amphibious assault ships could have been used as refugee holding areas for the time being instead of stuffing everyone into the Super dome. Granted they couldn't have held everyone but it would have been some relief. The larger ships also have medical facilities, some including ICU's that could have been used to treat the injured. In short, both federal and state governments need to come up with disaster plans that fit the disaster and utilize the best resources available.

Answer 3

Because you cannot make a 'one size fits all' plan for unpredictable natural disasters.

Another issue is the time it takes to physically move non-local assets into a disaster area.

Your detailed disaster planning needs to be done at the local level (where you have people familiar with the details of the area). More generic plans at the state level and only general plans at the federal level.

Remember that for the first 72 hours most of the available assets will be what was there prior to the disaster.

Answer 4

I think that it is very important for some agency to be responsible for the well being of people living in disaster prone areas. I also think the insurance companies that charge so much money for premiums should have to foot some of the bill for emergency preapredness.
After all, aren't the insurance companies the ones who charge and collect premiums whether something happens or not?
Also, there should be a group, voluntary or paid whose mission is to alert friends and neighbors when something like a disaster is about to occur.
And I think that this country, through the use of volunteers, could devise a system, where people have safe places to go when disaster strikes whether they have resources or not. This country is RICH and we don't have it together regarding disaster yet?!?!??! That upsets me and it makes me wonder where our priorities lie. Hmmm?


my two cents

Answer 5

No. The federal government is a total failure. The last thing we need is more taxing in preparation of a natural disaster so that the government can waste it away and do nothing in comparison to the money taken in through taxes.

No the government should not be responsible for helping disaster victims. Individuals should be responsible for their own well-being. Individuals can collectively and privately arrange for their plans to repair and rebuild. Putting the responsibility on any government body invites corruption and results in failure.

No, we do not need the army marching on our soil even if it is during a disaster. The army is for self defense, not policing or rebuilding.

Answer 6

US military and national guards are already the resources for any disasters in the nation, foreign and/or domestic.

Therefore, the rescue, recovery activities are squarely theirs.

On top of all, when a natural disaster hits, it is perfectly ethical not to do any thing. Man don't have to mess with what God wants to do.

Answer 7

i think they had a plan but like all plans they mostly fail like wat happen in sept. 11