LEADERSHIP RESPONSE TO HURRICANE KATRINA

Leadership response to Hurricane Katrina

Abstract

August 29, 2005, would be remembered by many as a catastrophic day and event. Natural disasters of the nature of Hurricane Katrina have a significant impact on leadership, on national decision making and even the survival of many of its victims. The possibility and threat of a major crisis caused by a hurricane is always going to be present in this country, especially for its southern and southeastern regions. Organizations, businesses, and even leadership would benefit from the lessons learned from natural disasters of this nature. The purpose of this study was to determine how leadership was affected during this crisis and explore ways it could have been more effective and efficient dealing with this crisis. This study also uncovered changes that need to be made in their leadership styles by leadership, and identified some of the current and future challenges leaders would face. In-depth interviews were conducted with organizational leaders at the local, state, and federal levels. All the individuals selected for this study were in leadership positions on August 29, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. These interviews were recorded via audio recorder; they were transcribed, and then carefully analyzed via content analysis. Effective leadership is characterized as having both strong organizational and human relations skills. Effective leadership must also possess integrity, honesty, trustworthiness, decisiveness, and flexibility, and have good communication skills. One of the greatest challenges for leadership is in the area of preparation. Leadership must be prepared for events of this nature and must be able to react to rapidly changing circumstances and situations. With the increasing complexity and instability of the world, preparation is going to be critical.

Table of Contents

Abstractii

Introduction1

Interview Questions7

Background of the Study7

What is Leadership?15

Definition of a Crisis17

Demographic Information18

Has Your Leadership Style Changed Since Hurricane Katrina?22

Leadership Plan23

Sensitivity24

Conclusion24

Leadership response to Hurricane Katrina

Introduction

All lives would probably be affected by a crisis at one time or another. On a smaller scale, reactions during a crisis would impact a society, its families, their friends, their associates and organizations in which they work and of which they are a part. On a larger scale, the decisions made by leadership at the local, state, and national level during a crisis could affect millions of people. These decisions could have a direct bearing upon individual lives, families, cities and most importantly, the survival of those affected. A fairly recent example of a crisis that impacted this nation was the crisis that developed on August 29, 2005, as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The decisions made by leadership at the local, state and federal levels affected the lives of thousands of individuals living on the Gulf Coast in the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. As a direct result of this natural disaster, the thinking of a multitude of individuals in this country has changed and has led to recommendations for fundamental changes in the organization, procedures, practices and attitudes of local and state emergency management agencies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), ...