Running Head: A Disaster Story 1

Governments Helping Hand: A Disaster Story

Mark Maxwell

Arkansas Tech University

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Governments Helping Hand: A Disaster Story

While I don’t typically like bringing personal politics into an argument, in this instance I

will do just that. While many may assume that the government’s primary role is to take care of

many different facets of contemporary life, that is simply not the case, American government

was designed to create law and order and to protect and defend its citizens against a foreign or

domestic threat (The Purpose of Government, n.d.). If this is in fact the case, is a hurricane

considered a domestic threat? There are those that would argue that government can and should

solve the nations woes and worries, and those that believe that preparedness and response should

be more community and personal based. At its most pivotal moment, FEMA, the disaster

response arm of the federal government, let its citizens down. This is not to say that the military

arm of government wasn’t on the ground providing rescue and some resources for people, they

were; I can personally attest to that as I had a close friend who was deployed to New Orleans

during the days following Katrina. However, this help came a little late for some. Overall, it

seems that FEMA was woefully unprepared for such a disaster. Salvation for those affected

came from the kind and generous hands of private business, neighbors, and friends, especially in

the early days following Katrina. Business such as Wal-Mart and the Red Cross responded to

the disaster and truly did what FEMA was failing to do, which was to provide disaster relief to

thousands affected. Can the private sector do a better job than the government, regarding

logistics and preparedness, as well as response to disaster? Should the federal government allow

this?

The government seems to not learn from its failures. FEMA has a history of not learning

from past mistakes. In 1992 hurricane Andrew wiped my mother’s hometown of Homestead

Florida off the map. I remember my mother talking to her friends who still lived in the area
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about how the government was not helping, or not doing enough. “Relief teams sat at airports

waiting for orders. Overwhelmed state and local governments sat waiting for supplies. Survivors

were left waiting in shelters or the ruins of their homes” (Seibel, 2017). There are a multitude of

things that went wrong that caused the catastrophe that was the result of hurricane Katrina in

2005. The government certainly didn’t make things easier, with FEMA’s haphazard response to

New Orleans and the storm ravaged gulf coast. If not for companies such as Wal-Mart and

FedEx, as well as nonprofits like the Red Cross, many more people would have suffered from the

government’s “help”. Days before the government arrived to “help”, Wal-Mart and its

distribution units were on the ground and aiding victims of Katrina. Thanks to nonprofits like

the Red Cross, who convinced Starbucks to assist in the relief effort to the storm ravaged gulf

coast; citizens were able to enjoy a pastry and fresh coffee while waiting for the governments

“help” to arrive (Worthen, 2005).

The simple fact that private corporations could respond so well in such a disaster, before

the federal government, is appalling at best. However, it is also very telling about just what our

government may or may not be capable of doing; “Federal Express continued to deliver when the

National Guard couldn’t” (Gross, 2005). Now, one would assume that if FedEx can deliver my

Justin Bieber t-shirt in a timely manner, then surely the government could get me some bottled

water in a time of crisis! Coors and Budweiser often stop manufacturing beer and begin canning

water to send to those in need who are affected by disaster. I know this because of my own

history of handing out an ice-cold bud, water, to a flood victim in the river valley.

The fact of the matter is this, the government does need the expertise of the private and

nonprofit sector in times of disaster. These companies move thousands and thousands of pounds

of products across the country or globe daily. They are masters at communication and making
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logistical nightmares look like a brief hallucination. Wal-Mart even has its own logistical EOC,

where they make logistics an almost orchestral event; all parts working together in proximity,

making the impossible possible (Worthen, 2005). They can do this through proper and prompt

communication, something I have found that the federal government severely lacks. The

question in my mind is not wheatear or not the federal government should allow private and

nonprofit organizations to help in logistics and planning when it comes to disaster response. The

question in my mind is why haven’t they allowed this already?

There are many things that the government can handle, however the private sector has

proven that they simply handle some things better. Why would you not want the best of the best

in terms of logistics and planning, helping you with disasters? If it’s ego, I’ve learned there is no

room for that when it comes to disaster. All parts must work together to help the most people,

the most effective way possible. I feel that the private and nonprofit sector has proven its useful

and resourcefulness thus far and I feel that they will only continue to prove themselves time after

time. The government would be wise to allow these companies and nonprofits to shine their

expert light down on situations such as Katrina; unless they themselves would like to be under

the spotlight of failure again, in the eyes of the American people.

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References

Gross, D. (2005, September 23). What FEMA Could Learn From Wal-Mart. Slate. Retrieved

from https://slate.com/business/2005/09/what-fema-could-learn-from-wal-mart-not-

much.html

Seibel, B. (2017, September 10). “Snapshots from FEMA’s disastrous failure in the wake of

Hurricane Andrew”. Medium: Timeline. Retrieved from https://timeline.com/fema-

hurricane-andrew-snapshots-7a764f017614

The Purposes of Government. (n.d.). American Government. US History. Philadelphia:

Independence Hall. Retrieved from https://www.ushistory.org/gov/1a.asp

Worthen, B. (2005, November 1). How Wal-Mart Beat Feds to New Orleans. CIO: IDG

Communications. Retrieved from https://www.cio.com/article/2448237/how-wal-mart-

beat-feds-to-new-orleans.html