Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
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Providing strategies for coordination of federal resources required to handle
subsequent events
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Restoring public confidence after a terrorist attack
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Enabling immediate recovery activities, as well as addressing long-term con-
sequences in the impacted area
On August 30, 2005, Secretary Michael Chertoff invoked the NRP the day after
Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. By so doing, Secretary Chertoff assumed the
leadership role triggered by the law to bear primary responsibility to manage said
crisis. Almost a month later, in advance of the landfall of Hurricane Rita, Secretary
Chertoff declared the storm an incident of national significance and put prepara-
tions in place in the gulf region of Texas.
Because of the lengthy implementation schedule, the increased level of coordi-
nation did not sufficiently materialize. This situation became severely problematic
when Hurricane Katrina roared into the Gulf of Mexico, then made landfall in
Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina caused severe destruction along the Gulf coast. The
most severe loss of life and property damage occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana,
which flooded as the levee system catastrophically failed, in many cases hours after
the storm had moved inland.
Following Hurricane Katrina, the plan was updated on May 25, 2006. The notice
of change stated the update “emerged from organizational changes within DHS, as
well as the experience of responding to Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, and Rita in 2005.”
National Response Framework
Published in January 2008, the NRF was developed to address the requirements of
PKEMRA. It is a framework that guides local, state, and federal entities enabling
all response partners to prepare for and provide a unified national response to disas-
ters and emergencies. This framework establishes a comprehensive, national, all-
hazards approach to domestic incident approach.
As identified by DHS, the NRF
presents the guiding principles that enable all response partners to pre-
pare for and provide a unified national response to disasters and emer-
gencies—from the smallest incident to the largest catastrophe. This
important document establishes a comprehensive, national, all-hazards
approach to domestic incident response. The Framework defines the
key principles, roles, and structures that organize the way we respond
as a Nation. It describes how communities, tribes, States, the Federal
Government, and private-sector and nongovernmental partners apply
these principles for a coordinated, effective national response. It also
identifies special circumstances where the Federal Government exer-
cises a larger role, including incidents where Federal interests are
