ARC launched a program to respond to disasters during Hurricane Katrina. The goal was saving lives. The project and response were the biggest in history. Hurricane Katrina’s devastating effects reached the Gulf Coast within a few days of its occurrence. The storm caused a lot of damage to the Gulf Coast residents. Around 1800 people died in the incident, and approximately 2,000,000 people were forced to leave their homes. al., 2008).
Aside from the death toll, the storm also caused the destruction of supplies and products worth approximately 81 million dollars. The storm destroyed approximately 350000 homes (Haskett and al., 2008). al., 2008). Katrina Relief led to the evacuations of Metropolitan residents. In addition, survivors were scattered across several states. This initiative involved more than 245000 Red Cross workers to provide money, shelter and basic food for people in need. This paper analyzes ARC’s response to New Orleans’ needs. The assessment of vulnerability and solutions are part of systems thinking. It is a systematic way to examine the factors which increase people’s susceptibility to natural disasters, and to identify possible entry points in order to control these factors. al., 2008). Additionally, system thinking involves accepting all the uncertainties and intricacies. This is because disasters aren’t linear.
The organization claims that all residents of the country have access 24/7 to support and lifesaving amenities. The Red Cross should be on the spot of the catastrophe as quickly as possible in order to save life. In New Orleans however, the ARC was three-days late. al., 2008). In light of these devastating impacts, a large part of society suffered a severe problem with housing. After the storms, this problem was exacerbated. Red Cross response was sluggish, and this made the situation worse. New Orleans residents’ situation was worsened by actions taken at the local level. Looking at the region ten years after Katrina, it is clear that ARC’s initiative has failed. al., 2008).
Most of the victims, who are registered internally displaced, still do not have housing. The public was not able to rebuild their rental houses, which made the process of recovery difficult. Red Cross’s mission statement and policy dictated that people living in these houses would be relocated. The Red Cross also failed to provide affordable housing for those displaced. In addition, the Red Cross failed to offer financial assistance to homeowners in a timely fashion to build new homes. These circumstances led to a public dislocation. New Orleans residents are affected by the housing problem. It was a danger when buildings were destroyed and could not be repaired or rebuilt. Also, there were fewer houses that residents could afford. The cost of public housing for low-income residents increased by 40% after Katrina due to the poor performance of ARC. al., 2008).
The residents of the area were subsequently evicted. The Red Cross adhered to a humanism principle which affirms a desire to provide assistance without discrimination. This policy was aimed at preventing and alleviating all human suffering, regardless of the circumstances. The principle’s purpose is to protect life, maintain health and respect all humans. It promotes understanding, friendship and cooperation. The ARC’s response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans was rushed (Haskett et. al., 2008). The process was based on managers with little experience. They often did not provide for the victims. The Red Cross did not provide the necessary supplies to the victims. Unsurprisingly, there was no plan prepared to help leaders determine the type of supplies they should distribute. Deliberately omitting the record-keeping process also left room for mishaps. The biggest problem was that the prospects were unable to meet their basic needs.
Volunteer managers were also guilty of criminal misconduct. It happened in the disaster zone. ARC representatives and officials are usually benevolent. A willingness to help will make a person more receptive to what a victim of traumatic events has to say. The listener’s willingness to help will determine if they will act according to what the victim expects. Only arrogance and irresponsibility will cause mismatches between expectations and services. The organization does not expect such behavior. Red Cross cannot achieve its goals and mission through such behavior.
Red Cross has failed to meet expectations in several areas of its approach. The organization’s policy is to encourage residents to be prepared for disasters by educating them on the many ways they can deal with it. It is also based on the idea that people affected by disasters can be provided with shelter, help and hope. New Orleans’ victims did not experience this. Three days after Hurricane Katrina, the Red Cross had arrived. New Orleans remained untouched by relief efforts, even though other hurricane-ravaged areas received aid. al., 2008). This is an example of ineptitude and failure by the organization.
Red Cross or any other organization that operates in this capacity should send their representatives as early as possible to get people ready for an incident. In the event of a disaster, it was expected that preparations would have already been made to protect lives. Notably, ARC was unable to provide services in New Orleans due to the delay. The universality of the ARC is one its key principles. This principle represents equality, both in terms of responsibility and status as well as duties to help others. This principle required the organization to provide the same services immediately in all disaster-stricken regions. On the basis of universality, it was illegal for an organization to provide services in a region three days after another.
American Red Cross uses a system of thinking to train individuals in life-saving techniques. All members of the Red Cross who interact with disaster victims should be able to communicate well and have excellent networking skills. They value citizens’ needs, so they act quickly to meet their demands. Red Cross workers have prepared meals for some victims. The team responded by giving them bananas. Another time, volunteers patrolled the neighborhood to try to locate people who needed help. Some people asked to be given juice and/or water (Haskettet. al., 2008). The Red Cross volunteers had bleach on their hands. The problem was not corrected despite all efforts. The responsibility for distributing the supplies was given to more experienced teams who were responsible for providing services and supplies to others. Red Cross Volunteers could do the distribution work, which requires less expertise. The experienced workers would have been the ones to attend to victims’ needs and listen. One of the reported events was the presence on the first mission of volunteer relief coordination coordinators. Inexperienced personnel was not a good idea for a sensitive mission. It is not practical to send inexperienced people on a sensitive operation. Some vehicles have been lost during the life-saving process.
This is mainly because the person in charge of 100 vehicles (Haskett, et. al., 2008). He was unable to identify the drivers of the different vehicles. Its mission statement emphasizes that people who are affected by disasters can find hope, help and shelter. The only way to receive hope is if there are healthy relationships between those involved. You can’t encourage someone if your target client has a hostile atmosphere. The level and type of interaction between the two is what determines how much care you show. Care is not shown when someone harasses or ignores the demands of others. It is evident from the above issues that deliveries were not under control. This opened up the possibility of numerous crimes, which then encouraged misbehavior in duty-handling. Any expert in logistics could easily recognize the majority of mistakes made by managers when delivering services.
If you find that people are missing supplies, it could be a sign that the supply system is not functioning properly. Planned supply chains are essential in an emergency situation. In emergency situations, planning should be done to ensure the supply of essential supplies. By anticipating needs, you can shorten the supply chains. It is easier to deliver basic necessities like water and food. The Red Cross may want to adopt a supply chain system that will handle everything from the initial purchase of supplies all the way through to the final delivery. To avoid supply-related problems, it should abandon its current simple logistics system. In order to make the process a reality, the organization must involve and solicit the support of its supporters. It will help to ensure that any future catastrophes are handled in line with the goals and objectives of the organization. The victims can have their essential needs met by a practical and good supply-chain management system. A good supply chain management system can also reduce the number of instances where volunteers miscommunicate with victims. The volunteers will have to supply the stores with the supplies they need. Note that the supplies stored in stores are only those necessary for the victims.
The strategy can also help with the accountability issue. The organization that was involved in Katrina received many funds from its supporters. The managers did not reveal how the money was spent, even though they were told. The needs of most victims were not being met. Red Cross workers should be given appropriate tasks to perform. Prior experience is required for certain tasks, so they should only be assigned to people with the appropriate skills and expertise. al., 2008). Volunteers can also be assigned to perform tasks that don’t require expertise. In the Katrina event, those with the experience needed to be able to listen and respond to the victims’ needs. Volunteers would have been able to help in the distribution of supplies requested by victims. It is also important to assign responsibilities based upon the level of preparedness. Participants shouldn’t be assigned tasks they can’t handle. Delegation of duties should be guided by policies. It is not advisable to send individuals on sensitive missions if this is their first mission.
Red Cross is committed to providing the best possible service to its victims, and should not allow their programs to fall below standard. Red Cross, in order to maintain professionalism, should make sure that all inventories have documentation. The training of those who are delegated responsibilities must include concepts such as accountability. These programs will ensure that inventories are tracked more effectively (Haskett and al., 2008). al., 2008). This will eliminate the possibility that an organization could be blamed for alleged misappropriation. It will also ensure the organization’s ability to maintain good relationships with its current donors and prospective donors. The organization may suffer if there are instances of lack of accountability. These incidents can harm the organization’s reputation with potential victims. Journalists may also be interested in the situation, creating an environment that is favorable for critics.