Emerging issues in environmental disaster management - Essay Example

Kamran Harris Public Security 18 October 2007 Emerging Issues In Environmental Disaster Management Introduction: Disaster management is a system of relief operations carried out in lieu of any natural or human-afflicted disasters in the country. These operations can be carried out either before or after a disaster strikes. When they are carried before the calamity, they are in the nature of preparing the people for it, and often involve evacuating the pertinent area. In the case of post-disaster operations, they are mostly concerned with the relief and rehabilitation of the stricken area and people, and often involve medical and housing facilities, and the sheltering of the evacuees. Many agencies and organizations, both governmental and non- governmental, have to work in a highly coordinated manner to bring about these measures. There is a high level of internal and external organization in and among these organizations respectively to achieve a high degree of efficiency that is a prerequisite for emergency control and management. These organizations can be at city, state or federal level, depending upon the nature and the need of the agency, and also upon the scope and limits of its operations. This paper focuses on the United States Coast Guard and its workings. USCG: Overview: The United States Coast Guard had its inception on January 28, 1915. It is a multi-mission military service, and is a branch of the US military, working within the Department of Homeland Security since 25 February, 2003, the other branches of the military being under the Department of Defense. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and the smallest of the five armed services. It is a maritime law enforcement agency and is also involved in federal regulation. Its mission is public, environmental and United States economical and security protection in the waterways, wherever these interests might be at stake, be it the international waters, or America's ports, coasts and inland maritime region. Although originally operating under the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, under special circumstances, can also serve the Department of Defense and the Department of the Navy. It embodies the motto Semper Paratus, which means "Always Ready". History: the history of the United States Coast Guard can be divided into two broad factions; the early history, that is before the formal inception of the modern Coast Guard authority, and that of post-modern Coast Guard inception. The early history can be traced back to the 1970s. On the 4rth of August, 1970, the Tariff Act by the Congress authorized the construction of ten vessels, or cutters, with the recruitment of 100 revenue officers, to maintain US maritime laws in the waterways, coordinate the marine taxes and prevent smuggling. This service was known as the Revenue Cutter Service or the Revenue Marine. In 1915, when the Cutter Service was combined with the Life-Saving Service, the organization received the present name of the United States Coast Guard. At that point, it was the single service dealing with both the enforcement of law and the service of personal protection and life saving in the waterways. In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt transferred the Lighthouse Service to the Coast Guard, so that now the Coast Guard had to carry out maritime navigation and the operation of the country's lighthouses along with its other jobs. But that wasn't all. In 1946, the Congress placed the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation under the Coast guard, and now the inspection of marine vessels and their licensing was also controlled by the Guard. Hence, the Coast Guard was the only armed maritime service consisting of warships in the country that was protecting the coast, trade and the maritime laws and interests of the country until the inception of the Department of the Navy in 1978. Organization: an extensive agency like the United States Coast Guard with such important and far-reaching multiple purposes needs to have a complex and efficient organization within and without its ranks and disciplines for its proper functioning. Studying the organization of this agency will give valuable insight into its value as an emergency management agency. The multi-dimensional approach of the USCG can be cut down into five basic roles: maritime safety, maritime mobility, maritime security, national defense and protection of natural resources. These roles in themselves are quite wide in scope, so they are further broken down into eleven statutory missions (quoting out of section 888 of the Homeland Security Act). These missions are: ports, waterways and coastal security (PWCS); counter drug law enforcement; migrant interdiction; other law enforcement (foreign fisheries); living marine resources (domestic fisheries); marine safety; marine environmental protection; ice operations; aids to navigation (ATON); defense readiness; and marine environmental response. The Coast Guard also operates the National Response Center (NRC) which serves as the only center where environmental spills, contamination and pollution occurring within the US and its territories can be reported. Services: Ever since its inception as its predecessor agency, the Marine Revenue Cutters, the United States Coast Guard has performed vital activities in controlling the maritime operations of many diverse natures all across the nation. It claims to have jumped up to service every time the need arose. In every case, it has helped fight chaos and deal with emergencies of many sorts, and hence, has received several honors and medals. It has also performed its job in many wars, such as the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, American Civil War, and the World War 2. Even on daily basis, the Coast Guard performs a phenomenally active role, from saving 14 lives on average to seizing $8.4 million worth of illegal drugs. Everyday, it helps 123 people in distress, responds to 22 sea spills, those of either oil or other hazardous chemicals, examines 25 coastal facilities, catches and deals with 22 illegal migrants making their way into the US through the sea, is involved in 78 search and rescue missions, and carries out examinations of 21 commercial vessels. (United States Coast Guard, Overview 2007). This not only ensures public safety, but also instills in the citizens of America a sense of safety and a confidence of being protected, and this feeling proves to be very valuable especially in catastrophic times. A case in point is the Hurricane Katrina that struck the Gulf Coast of the United States on the 29th of August, 2005, followed one month later by Hurricane Rita. Studying the role of US Coast Guard in the catastrophes of Hurricane Katrina and Rita would reveal its importance as an emergency management agency. More than 1.5 million people were directly afflicted, and 800,000 lived as evacuees. In such a time of terrible disaster, the United States Coast Guard, in coalition with other emergency management agencies, worked through all the issues and procedures, and helped save thousands of lives and disposed off the hundreds of thousands of evacuees to the proper destinations, while side by side providing relief aid and rehabilitation services. A 1000 HUD-owned homes were made available to the evacuees at a considerable discount for a long-term settlement. As a result of their efforts, 27,000 families have been assisted, at a lease of 20,000 housing units with $28 million disbursed as aid money to the stricken families. The US Coast Guard worked to restore the ports to the pre- disaster condition, and hence, the Port of New Orleans was reopened just two weeks after the hurricane, as were others along the Gulf Coast. Their work also involved keeping the waterways open and free of any large debris so that the shipping lanes could be kept functional. To achieve this, they surveyed the locality for any wrecked material, such as oil rigs, and shoaling. They were instrumental in providing the much needed information for cleaning up the Gulf waterways that had been compromised in no less than 20 ports, and that could have posed a major economical and environmental stress on the region. To further help rebuild the economy, the Guard helped with the re-forming and functioning of oyesterbeds and the regulation and monitoring of fisheries by the locals, through utilizing and careful investment of the $128 million grant accorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Restoring the environment and putting a stop to a continued damage to the natural habitats and sanctuaries is a major step in restoring a community back to its normal state once its struck by any disaster such as the Hurricane Katrina. While restoring the economic well-being of the people and the well-being of the wild life and the local communities, this also helps to aesthetically improve the condition of the place and hence, lift the morale of the affected communities. The US Coast Guard took up many missions assignments funded by the FEMA to perform this duty. A total of 100 million cubic yards of debris from Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi has been removed by the USCG and other agencies. By now, over 800 nautical miles have been mapped along the gulf coast to survey any debris in the waterways that might have been left unnoticed in the previous inspections. More than 620 commercial and 2000 recreational vessels were wrecked in the hurricane, and through continued surveillance, the Guard has helped dispose off the wreck. 235 sites in Mississippi have been noticed by the Guard that required a clean up. And that is just in Mississippi. The hurricane resulted in hundreds of oil spills throughout the Gulf region. The response and restoration of this emergency call resulting in intense pollution was very difficult due to the breakdown of infrastructures and the complexity and magnitude of the task at hand, but USCG was not daunted by the enormity of the situation, and undertook the campaign, cleaning up more than 8 million gallons of spilled oil from 6 major and four medium facility oil spills, and a 1000 minor spills. As a result, the oil spillage clean up has been completed in all affected regions of all the states. Other than oil, the USCG teams have removed hazardous materials of other natures such as batteries and chemicals, including heavy metals, from vessels grounded on the beaches, and from chemical factories and laboratories that were infected so that the general public could be put to safety. In the case of Hurricane Rita, the United States Coast Guard, in conjunction with other emergency management agencies, carried out a pre-positing of its resources and services outlets to prepare for the upcoming disaster, and to better equip the people and the agency itself against any loss and destruction that the hurricane was to cause. USCG constantly urged people to keep a close update of the hurricane by following the lowdown provided by the Guard and the HUD, and to abide by the instructions of the appointed officials. The Guard pre- positioned its teams for search and rescue, pollution response, and aids to navigation assets inland (Homeland Security 2005). The Coast Guard Disaster Area Response Teams (DART) were stationed in Houston to provide relief. Along with the general public, the Guard also warned the mariners about the storm and pressed them to pay close attention to the guidelines provided by the Guard and the Homeland Security. Small advisories were setup to assist the mariners in their relief exercises and techniques. All the oil rigs and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico were issued to be evacuated to prevent any loss of life in the event of the hurricane hitting them (Homeland Security 2005). The way the US Coast Guard was able to function in such times of emergency speaks for itself about the efficient organization and working system of the agency, and the impact it has had and will continue to have on the lives of millions of Americans. References (October 16, 2007). History of the United States Coast Guard. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 17, 2007 from Homeland Security. (August 28, 2007). Hurricane Katrina: What Government is Doing. Retrieved October 16, 2007 from < http://www.dhs.gov/xprepresp/programs/gc_1157649340100.shtm> (August 21, 2007). Organization of the United States Coast Guard. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16 October 2007 from (November 17, 2006). United States Coast Guard. About Us. Retrieved 17 October 2007 from (November 24, 2006). United States Coast Guard. Missions. Retrieved 16 October 2007 from (June 28, 2007). United States Coast Guard. Overview. Retrieved 17 October 2007 from (September 17, 2007). United States Coast Guard. US Coast Guard's Historian Office. Retrieved 16 October 2007 from (October 14, 2007). United States Coast Guard. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17 October 2007 from Read More