US Army's National Guard involvement in Hurricane Katrina's Relief Essay

US Army's National Guard involvement in Hurricane Katrina's Relief Operation - Essay Example Hurricane Katrina hit America in the fall of August 2005.The Katrina hit seven different states leading to different death-tolls in each state. These states were: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Ohio. The most loss was incurred in Louisiana where more than 1500 were estimated dead. It is considered one of the costliest and deadliest hurricanes to have ever hit in the history of the United States. Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast, destroying lives, leveling homes and leaving thousands of survivors with the same story.Federal disaster declarations covered 90,000square miles of the United States, an area considered to be almost as large as the United Kingdom. Tough the loss of lives was the most tragic event caused by the hurricane. It was worsened by what came as the aftermath of the storm. Loss of electricity was one of the biggest setbacks to the crisis. The impact was such that as a consequence, the hurricane left approximately three million individuals without electricity. In 2005, 3rd September, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff explained the consequences of Hurricane Katrina as "perhaps the worst disaster, or set of catastrophes," in the history of the country, stating this about the hurricane itself and the flooding of New Orleans (CNN).Thus, when help moved in they had to deal with an increasing number of problems. Not only did they have to collect the bodies of those who had died in the storm but they also needed to provide and support the survivors. Economically, the damages were enormous. So while the Bush administration worked to collect funds, hundreds of thousands of local residents were left unemployed. This led to a trickle-down effect as fewer taxes are paid to local governments. Prior to the hurricane, the region supported around one million non-farm jobs, with approximately six hundred thousand amongst them in New Orleans. This meant that the desperate victims began looting stores in s earch of food and water: essentials that were impossible to find (FOX 16). To prevent further chaos and to help bring the situation under control the government deployed thousands of National Guard and federal troops. Role of National Guard When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, the situation triggered the largest and fastest disaster response ever seen in the National Guard's 369 year history. At the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People event, Steven Blum (Head of the National Guard) spoke of how none of the men who went as part of the National Guard stopped to question how long they would be caught in the disaster area or whether they would be paid for their efforts. He commended them by saying how this was the reason why the National Guard was the finest organization of the nation and he was proud to be part of it (National Guard). When Hurricane Katrina struck, the National Guard was amongst the first men who landed in the area within the first four hours. The troops were on the streets, in the water and in the air. Each one attempting to save as many lives as he possibly could. Thus, 58,000 troops were deployed into the disaster hit area. The following are instances where the National Guard took over various different regions and helped provide assistance almost immediately after the disaster had struck. In most places, the strong winds and thundering rain had not even stopped and the Guards had already moved in to help the victims. The US Department of Defense immediately posted a news article on the 29 of August 2005 to show the work that was being carried out by the National Guard in their efforts to keep the area safe. The work done almost immediate