The horrific fallout of Hurricane Katrina has spotlighted how the United States can fail to adequately plan for, and respond to, manmade or natural disasters. The increase in scrutiny of the major agencies faulted with the cause of (Army Corps of Engineers) and response to (FEMA) Katrina have ushered in a new focus to GAP’s Homeland Security program – Disaster Accountability.
While the Katrina aftermath will always be remembered, the scrutiny and oversight of the federal agencies in charge of these types of situations can slowly fade from the public spotlight with the passage of time. But proper watchdog efforts over these agencies must permanently continue. It is essential for democracy and government accountability that agencies be constantly monitored, in order to ensure proper fixes and remedies being enacted, and to better prepare for future unforeseen events.
GAP represented one whistleblower, Maria Garzino, who successfully exposed that the pumps installed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans post-Katrina are faulty, and will probably fail during the next hurricane.
