The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a comprehensive, standardized government approach to preventing, mitigating, and recovering from domestic incidents. It was initially issued in 2004 by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to improve cooperation between governmental, non-governmental, and private entities (FEMA, 2017). A revision published in 2017 outlines the five components of NIMS (Gaines & Kappeler, 2019). Firstly, preparedness involves personnel qualification, equipment acquisition, and mutual aid agreements (FEMA, 2017). Communications and information management ensures efficient and timely information flow across all relevant agencies and jurisdictions. Resource management includes the standardized mechanisms and requirements for mobilizing and tracking resources (FEMA, 2017). Command and management is based on defining the correct procedures for incident management organizations and supporting entities during emergencies. Finally, ongoing management and maintenance pertains to the establishment of a supervisory center to continually refine the system and perform routine reviews (Gaines & Kappeler, 2019)). The NIMS framework is meant to promote effective inter-jurisdictional cooperation through standardization.
Despite the implementation of the NIMS, the response of FEMA and the DHS to Hurricane Katrina was deficient across the board. All levels of government fundamentally failed to understand the principles set forth in the NIMS and develop appropriate operating procedures (Select Bipartisan Committee, 2006). As a result, government officials ignored long-term warnings, failed to prepare, and took insufficient actions in the days immediately after the incident (Select Bipartisan Committee, 2006). Inadequate staffing, training, and funding undermined preparedness and resource management. Furthermore, local communication systems and emergency management were obliterated due to flooding, disrupting the accepted unity of command and leading to role confusion (Select Bipartisan Committee, 2006). The lack of clarity over leadership and responsibility led to a slow and disjointed response to Hurricane Katrina.
References
FEMA. (2017). National Incident Management System (3rd ed.). Web.
Select Bipartisan Committee. (2006). A failure of initiative: Final report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to investigate the preparation for and response to Hurricane Katrina. U.S. Government Publishing Office. Web.