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dc.contributor.authorSolomons, Evan
dc.date.accessioned2007-12-21
dc.date.available2007-12-21
dc.date.issued2007-12-21
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2123/2166
dc.description.abstractAbstract The period between 1992 and 2005 was turbulent for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Failed responses to Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina resulted in academics questioning the efficacy of FEMA’s structure and ability to coordinate a response. The literature studying this phenomenon focuses on whether the failed responses were due to FEMA’s structure being too flexible or too hierarchical. This thesis argues this duality misses the point. First, the literature is overly focused on failure at the expense of success. This necessarily ignores half the story. Analysing successful responses will provide a more holistic view of what structures are the most appropriate in a response. Second, responses are never wholly open or closed but rather a mixture of both. FEMA’s responses need to be disaggregated into their strategic (policy-makers) and operational (implementers) components and their combinations examined. With reference to two failures, Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, and two successes, The Great Midwest Floods and Northridge Earthquake, this thesis argues optimal response frameworks are strategically closed and operationally open.en
dc.description.sponsorshipN/Aen
dc.language.isoen_USen
dc.relation.ispartofseriesGovt First Class Honsen
dc.rightsThe author retains copyright of this thesis
dc.subjectDisasteren
dc.subjectDisaster Responseen
dc.subjectHurricane Katrinaen
dc.subjectNorthridgeen
dc.subjectGreat Midwest Floodsen
dc.subjectHurricane Andrewen
dc.subjectStructureen
dc.subjectImplementationen
dc.subjectsuccessen
dc.subjectfailureen
dc.subjectFEMAen
dc.subjectcomparativeen
dc.subjectopenen
dc.subjectcloseden
dc.subjectstrategicen
dc.subjectoperationalen
dc.titleGathering Storm: Structuring More Successful Responses to Disastersen
dc.typeThesis, Honoursen
dc.description.departmentDepartment of Government and International Relationsen
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Government and International Relationsen


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